345,000 HKD
“The Serpent Attack” Bovet, Fleurier, No. 9, enamel attributed to P. Amédée, made for the Chinese market, circa 1870. Very fine, gilt silver and painted on enamel, large pearl-set center-seconds watch with special movement. Three-body, “Empire”, the back painted on enamel with a large serpent attacking a lady and her Hindu escort,riding on an elephant, pearl-set bezels, pendant and bow, glazed cuvette mounted to the movement adapter ring. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions and 15-minute markers. Blued steel "spoon"hands. 54 mm (24’’’), highly polished steel "Chinese" caliber, jeweled to the center, free-standing barrel, coun-terpoisedlateral lever escapement with a ruby-set tail, three-arm steel balance with blued steel“ax” weights. Dial, case (in Chinese characters) and movement signed.Diam. 62 mm. Notes A very similar watch decorated by Champod with a tiger fighting an elephant is illustrated in Chapuis’“La Montre Chinoise” on the color plate following page 192, strongly suggeseting that the enamel of this watch was painted by the same artist. P.-Amédée Champod (1834-1913) Along with John Graff, he was one of the most celebrated enamel painters of the second part of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, specializing in hunting scenes. In his autobiography, which has been preserved by his descendants, he writes that he wanted to be a painter of large format scenes, but that economic realities led him to painting on enamel which he s
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2005-02-20
