619,500 CHF
Venus Binding the Wings of CupidPiguet & Meylan, No. 6853, Geneva, enamel attributed to Adam, made for the Chinese market, circa 1820.Exceptionally fine and rare 18K gold and painted on enamel, half pearl- and turquoise-set, musical center-seconds watch with two automaton musicians, playing every hour or on demand. Notes This is a superbly designed and executed watch made for the Chinese market. A few similar pieces exist, notably in the Sandoz Collection, the former Loup Collection, or in the Lord Sandberg Collection (see Antiquorum, March 31, 2001). However, they are all either larger or in "Empire" style cases. The "bassine" form, just coming into use at the time, allowed the artist to elegantly continue the pattern from the back of the case to the front, creating a very pleasing effect. Piguet et Meylan begn using the "bassine" form for their watches in the late 1810's, which corresponds to serial numbers in the high 5000's. Although they continued using the "Empire" form, they preferred the "bassine for their special pieces.The watch has been preserved in remarkably good condition, which is not always the case with watches for the Chinese market, that were sometimes kept in very unfavorable conditions.The scene depicted in the present watch, "Venus Binding the Wings of Cupid", was painted in 1780 just as Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was about to give birth. She recalled in her memoirs: "The day my daughter was born (Feb. 1780), I was still in the studio, tr
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2003-04-12
