200,500 CHF
Henry Capt, Musique d’Amour - Repeating Musical Watch with Four Actions with Concealed Erotic Automaton Henry Capt, Genève, No. 515. Made circa 1810. Extremely fine and equally rare, 18K gold and painted on enamel, two-train, quarter-repeating musical watch with two automaton scenes – musicians and birds automaton scene on the dial plate and concealed erotic automaton scene, playing at will. Three-body, "Empire", maker’s mark IG, with reeded band, the back with wavy-line engine turning. Fixed gold and finely painted on enamel cuvette with an automaton scene of a gentleman with a lady in a sumptuous interior, activated via a steel cam when the music plays. Small eccentric gold, engine turned and engraved, Breguet numerals on a plain reserve, outer dot minute divisions, the center engraved with a rosette. Steel spade hands. The gold dial plate finely painted on enamel with a scene of a landscape with a classical building, the foreground applied with a varicolored gold chased automaton scene of a seated gentleman playing the mandolin and a seated lady playing the lyre, to the side two birds in an arbor, one moving towards the other with the music. Gilt brass full plate double train movement with cylindrical pillars, going barrel and cylinder escapement, plain gold three-arm balance, flat balance spring, small pierced and chased gilt brass cock with polished steel end-piece, repeating on gongs activated by depressing the pendant, regulator arm protruding from under the cuve
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2011-03-27
