637,200 HKD
“Pastoral Romance” Edouard Juvet, Fleurier, Nos. 42321 and 42322, the enamel probably Geneva. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1835. Very fine and very rare, pair of 18K gold and painted on enamel center-seconds pocket watches with duplex escapements. Three-body, "Empire", the bezel decorated with red, blue and white enamel, sprung and hinged back cover with similarly decorated border and finely painted on enamel scene of a seated shepherd playing a flute with a shepherdess and her female companion listening, in a wooded landscape with blue sky. Sprung and hinged gold cuvette. White enamel with radial Roman numerals and outer minutes/seconds track, Arabic quarter hour numerals. Gold "heart" hands. Gilt "Chinese" caliber, foliate chased and engraved, hanging barrel, duplex escapement, bimetallic compensation balance with polished steel weights, diamond endstone, index regulator. Movement signed. Diam. 59 mm. Notes The painted on enamel scene decorating this watch owes its inspiration to the English romantic tradition of painting by such artists as William Hamilton. Hamilton painted a series of pictures of the four parts of the day, a watch decorated with "Evening" from this series was sold: Antiquorum, Geneva, March 31- April 1, 2001. Another watch decorated with the same scene as the present watch was sold: Antiquorum, Hong Kong, July 10, 2005, Lot 369. For a biography of Edouard & Léo Juvet, see previous lot.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2006-04-23
