828,500 CHF
La Madonna della SediaPiguet & Meylan, Genève, Nos. 5854 and 6524, circa 1820.Magnificent and extremely rare asymmetrical pair of 18 ct. gold and enamel pearl-and ruby-set, two-train, music and automaton hour-striking and repeating, centre seconds watches with original matching key, made for the Chinese market. White enamel radial Roman chapters and outer minute and half-second divisions, set at the top of the automaton background painted with Alpine scene with a lake and a chalet inwoodland setting. The automaton in applied chased and engraved multi-coloured gold, represents two musicians, a lady playing the harp and a boy playing the mandolin, moving their arms in time with the music. Notes Most of the watches and singing bird boxes or automaton snuff boxes destined for the Chinese market were made as pairs, with asymmetrically painted scenes. The few that have survived together did so as single pieces rather than as pairs. To find a surviving pair in such condition is virtually unknown.Piguet Lot MeylanFor a biography, see page 224.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2001-03-31
