24,150 CHF
By the Altar of Love Francois Gugenmus, Horloger du Roy à Varsovie, circa 1790. Very fine and very rare 18K gold and painted on enamel watch with date. Two-body, spring-loaded back centered with an oval enamel medallion painted with a scene of a couple by the altar of love, two doves courting at the top, Cupid’s quiver with arrows on the ground, a castle in the background, paillon frame, translucent dark blue enamel over engine-turning, geometrical patterned bezels and pendant. White enamel, upright Arabic numerals, outer dot minute divisions, Arabic date on the outermost. Blued steel Breguet hands, gold “serpentine” date hand. 53 mm., hinged, gilt Hessen full plate dustproof caliber with aperture for the balance, fixed barrel, cylinder escapement, three-arm brass balance with flat balance spring. Signed on dial and movement. Diam. 62,5 mm. Notes Franciszek Gugenmus (1740 – 1820), The son of Johann Michael Gugenmus and his wife Marianna, in 1765 he became a Master presenting as his Masterwork a coach watch with quarter-repeating and alarm and another clock with “minute hand and calendar”. In 1775, after the death of Daniel Schepcke, he was named watchmaker to the king. Probably the most famous of all Polish watchmakers, he was also watchmaker to the king’s brother, Duke Michal Poniatowski (the father of Piotr Pawel Maleszewski, whose wife became the companion of Breguet’s son and the mother of Louis-Clément Breguet, Abraham-Louis’ famous grandson). One of the richest me
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2003-04-12
