299,000 HKD
The Cooper’s Yard Pierre Danel & frères a Genève, No. 1607, circa 1790. Very fine and rare 18K gold and painted on enamel, split-pearl pair-cased automaton quarter-repeating watch with striking Jacks. Outer: two-body gilt brass, glazed on both sides. Inner: two-body, “Empire”, back very finely painted with a woman daydreaming, a Cupid above her, green enamel drapes below terminated with graduated pearls, champlevé top in translucent scarlet enamel with flowers, doves and gold foliage, pearl-set front bezel. Small, eccentric with Breguet numerals, outer minute divisions, whole set on painted on enamel plate depicting an Alpine village, the top with applied gold animated cherub repeating hours and quarters on bells, the lower part with applied varicolored gold scene depicting a carpenter’s shop with two workmen building barrels, water flowing from a fountain. Blued steel “Spade” hands. 44.5 mm (20’’’), hinged, frosted gilt full-plate with cylindrical pillars, fusee and chain, verge escapement brass balance with flat balance spring, continental cock, repeating on bell by depressing the pendant, automaton driven from the repeating train, hinged gilt dust cap.Signed on the movement and dust cap.Diam. 66 mm. Notes A fine watch with rarely seen automaton scene. Pierre-Isaac Danel The son of François, he is recorded at Grange-Canal in Geneva. He became “habitant” of Geneva in 1772. “Dictionnaire des horlogers genevois” by Osvaldo Patrizzi, Antiquorum Editions, 1998.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2004-06-06