109,250 HKD
“Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne” André pinxit, 1716, movement by Pieter Klock, Amsterdam, circa 1725. Fine and very rare gilt metal and enamelled copper watch with date. 41 mm, hinged gilt brass full plate with elaborate pierced andengraved pillars, fusee and chain, verge escapement, plain brassthree-arm counterpoise balance, two-footed cock pierced andengraved with inhabited foliage, rack and pinion regulator.Signed on the dial and the back plate.Diam. 48 mm. Notes Ariadne was the daughter of Minos, king of Crete. She was seduced by Theseus when he came to fight the Minotaur, and helped him to escape from the labyrinth by giving him a ball of string which he gradually unwound and followed to find his way back out. Ariadne left Crete with Theseus, but was abandoned by him at Naxos. The lonely Ariadne was discovered by Bacchus, who threw her crown into the skies, forming a new constellation, and then married her amid lavish celebrations. The most famous depiction of the Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne is the fresco on the ceiling of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome, painted by Annibale Carracci. Pieter Klock (1665-1754). A famous Amsterdam maker, was also a paintings dealer. His name is found on Dutch scheepjesmechaniek (automaton seascape) clocks. He made a table clock with a seconds hand. He must have been well respected by his peers, as in 1716, he was asked by the City fathers to compile a list of the best watchmakers in Amsterdam. André Jean (1646-1717) a goldsmith and pa
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2005-07-10
