190,500 CHF
The Rose. Piguet & Meylan, No. 3564, Geneva, circa 1820.Magnificent and extremely rare, 18 ct. gold and enamel, pearl-set, centre-seconds, two-train, musical automaton watch, playing on the hour and on request, designed as a pink rose, made for the Chinese market. Two-body, the back very finely painted with the underside of the rose, showing sumptuous pink petals and two green leaves, the pearl-set stem, which forms the pendant, terminates with five graduated pearl-set petals at the centre of the rose. The bezel painted with rose petals, the edge decorated with a geometrical pattern in dark blue enamel and set with half pearls. White, eccentric Roman hour chapter ring with outer minute divisions set at the top of the background painting depicting aarden with roses and forget-me-nots, the sea beyond with the Temple of Love on a cliff. The foreground with varicoloured gold automata of a lady playing the harp, while Cupid accompanies her on a lyre, a nesting dove behind him. Blued-steel Breguet hands. Notes An identical watch, previously in the Gustave Loup Collection, is published in 'La Montre Chinoise', by Alfred Chapuis, pages 246 and 263, and 'Le Monde des Automates', by Alfred Chapuis and Edouard Celis, Volume II, page 43.Piguet Lot MeylanFor a biography, see page 224
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2001-03-31
