993,500 CHF
The Neapolitan Mandolin. Piguet & Meylan, Geneva, No. 4899, circa 1820. Magnificent and extremely rare 18K gold and enamel pearl-set quarter-repeating musical automaton watch, in the form of a Neapolitan mandolin, playing every hour or on demand. Two-body, covered with translucent scarlet enamel over fine flinqué with gold foliage on the soundboard, pearl-set sound-hole fitted with the watch dial, the back formed of 6 ribs in en suite enamel over a geometrical pattern, the front of the neck decorated with blue enamel frets, its head pink enamel with gold vase and gold stylized foliate decortion, gold knurled pegs, the front and the edge set with finely graduated split pearls on an applied gold frame.Gold twisted-rope strings, push-button at the edge of the soundboard to activate the music. Gold movement housing with gold and enamel hinged cuvette decorated with translucent imperial blue enamel flowers,with a music/silence lever. Painted on enamel over a yellow background with a park, roses in the foreground, a couple on an animated gold seesaw, over a radial Roman chapter set eccentrically at the lower part, large, gold snap-on ring. Blued steel "spade" hands. Notes The Neapolitan mandolin comes from the lute family, from which it inherited its characteristic gourd-like shape. Its history is quite long; its form, as we know it today, dating back to Florence around 1600. Its sweet notes and particular quality made it a huge success in Italy, and especially in the regio
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2003-10-11
