348,000 HKD
The Swan Pool – Watch with Five Automaton Actions Attributed to François Achard, Geneva. Made circa 1795. Very fine and rare, 18K gold and painted on enamel, quarter-repeating pocket watch with five automaton actions, polychrome enamel automaton jacks, two automaton water fountains and a dipping swan. Two-body, "Directoire", polished bezel, faceted and engraved band with sound frets, the back engraved with a basket of flowers and a butterfly. Small, white enamel with Breguet numerals, outer minute track and Arabic quarter-hour numerals. Blued steel Breguet hands. The painted on enamel gold dial plate decorated with a garden landscape with two applied polychrome painted on enamel cherubs above the dial appearing to strike the hours and quarters on two bells, multi-colored gold classical pool with an automaton dipping swan, to each side of the pool an applied multi-colored gold urn with a glass rod automaton fountain issuing from each. Gilt brass full plate with cylindrical pillars, fusee with chain, verge escapement, plain brass three-arm balance, flat balancespring, gilt brass continental cock with faceted endstone, silvered regulation dial, repeating on a bell mounted in the back of the case activated by depressing the pendant, the automata driven from the repeating train. Diam. 57 mm Notes The present watch is likely to date just before 1800 and is very similar to the watches made by Francois Achard. The polychrome painted cherub jacks are very rare, as are the two
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2009-06-27
