443,500 CHF
La Sainte Famille á l'oiseauSalomon Plairas a Blois, circa 1640. Extremely fine and equally rare large 20K gold and painted on enamel "fermée" type pre balance spring, single-hand pendant watch. Radial Roman numerals painted on whiteenamel ring, half-hour divisions, center painted with a landscape. Gilt brass "tulip" hand. Gilt brass, full plate, column pillars, fusee and cat gut, verge escapement, circular foliot, irregular pierced and engraved cock secured by a screw, worm and wheel mainspring set-up.Signed on the back plate.Diam. 59 mm Notes Provenance: Schloss CollectionMaurice Sternberger Collection, sold Christie's, London, 1937H. Marryat collectionTime Museum, inv. No. A673Exhibited: Metropolitan Museum, New York, before 1937Time Museum, Rockford, Illinois, U.S.A.Salomon Plairas (Playras) Blois.Born in 1605, the son of Charles Plairas, whose children became watchmakers and goldsmiths both in France and abroad. Salomon was established as a Master in Blois before 1630, and enjoyed a long career, his death being recorded in 1684.The pastel colors and distinctly white background of the enamel decoration on the case of this watch confirm it as being a particularly early example of the technique of painting "on enamel in enamel". Nearly contemporary records claim that the technique dated from 1627, but it seems likely that the first watches appeared a few years earlier. This example can certainly be counted amongst those early survivors, and is particularly nota
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2002-11-16