944,000 HKD
"Lavinia Receiving The Letter from Palemon" Piguet & Meylan, Genève, No. 3581, the case by Frères Oltramare. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1820. Extremely fine and very rare, quarter-repeating, 18K gold, painted on enamel and pearl-set pocket watch. Four-body, "Empire", the bezels set with split-pearls and with pale blue champleve enamel borders, the band, pendant and bow decorated with royal blue enamel and the band set with split-pearls, the back cover decorated with a finely painted on enamel scene depicting Lavinia and Palemon in a wooded landscape. Hinged gold cuvette decorated with a pale blue champleé enamel flower and leaf garland. Gold, matted chapter ring with polished radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions, subsidiary seconds, engineturned center. Blued steel "Breguet" hands. Notes This painting illustrates a story from James Thomson’s popular poems "The Seasons" dating from 1726–30. The rural lovers Palemon and Lavinia appear in Thomson’s "Autumn"; they are adapted from the Biblical story of Ruth and Boaz. Palemon, a gentleman, professes his love for the country girl Lavinia, in a harvest-time setting. Thomson’s sentimental fantasy of rural romance was particularly attractive to a generation brought up on the ideals of Sensibility. The poem that accompanies this scene is as follows: And are thou then Acastos' dear remains? She whom my restless Gratitude has sought// So long in vain, O Heav'ns! the very frame The soften'd Image of m
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2003-11-25
