414,000 HKD
Ilbery, London, No. 6059, enamel by Dupont, made for the Chinese market circa 1810. Fine 18 ct. gold and enamel, center seconds watch with special escapement. Double body, the fixed bezel, pendant and bow, with champleve enamelled decoration, the back with a fine painted scene by Dupont, depicting a young coupla and a boy, playing with a dove (slightly restored). Hinged gold cuvette engraves with a floral decoration. White enamel with Roman numerals. Gold "spatula" hands. 21-, gilt brass, Chinese caliber, fully engraved with a floral decoration, free standing barrel, single wheel duplex escapement, plain five armed polished steel balance, flat balance spring and diamond end-stone. Signed on the movement. In good condition. Diam. 57 mm. Notes Jean-Francois-Victor Dupont, 1785-1863, probably the finest painter in enamel of his age working in Geneva. His work included portraits of distinguished personages ( King George IV, Henry VI etc.) as well as boxes and particularly watches destined for the Chinese market. For the latter he cooperated frequently with Ilbery as well as Piguet & Meylan. A particular feature of his work was his ability to paint a group of figures posed in the same plane without giving an impression of overcrowding. The distinctive palette may well derive from the Tact that he mixed his own colours.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1993-06-10
