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Lot Essay
With pink gold, translucent scarlet and white enamel decorated key.
The present watch is listed on Louis Cottier's hand-written invoice of 18 January 1962. He dates it 1815-20. The servicing of the movement required 40 hours, totalling up to CHF400.
This watch and its spectacular combination of a lavishly decorated case and a complex, quarter movement is an outstanding example for a timepiece made for a Chinese dignitary. Of exceptional quality and preserved in excellent, original overall condition, it is amongst the most impressive "Chinese" watches to be offered in public in recent years.
This horological masterpiece is signed Piguet & Meylan, partners from 1811 to 1828, celebrated makers of repeating and musical movements of extraordinary quality. Alfred Chapuis states in his tome La Montre Chinoise, p. 65: "The most beautiful watches exported from Switzerland to China at the beginning of the 19th century are those bearing the signature Piguet or Piguet et Meylan, of Geneva", followed by extensive biographies of Isaac-Daniel Piguet and Philippe-Samuel Meylan, including black and white reproductions of their portraits.
Isaac-Daniel Piguet was born in Le Chenit in the Valley of Joux in 1775. At an early age, he specialized in the manufacturing of expensive and complicated pieces such as watches with carillons and en passant hour and quarter striking clock watches. He finally settled in Geneva where, in 1811, he formed a partnership with Philippe-Samuel Meylan.
Philippe-Samuel Meylan (1772-1845), a member of a family of renowned watchmakers, was born in Le Brassus. He specialized in the production of very thin watches and became an eminent maker of watches with musical automata.
The superb quality of the enamel decoration illustrates the celebrated art of enamel miniatures originating from Geneva in the early 19th century. It was not unusual during that period that an artist would sign his work. The enamel on the present watch however can be attributed to Jean Abraham Lissignol (1749-1819), also known as Père Lissignol (Lissignol father) to distinguish him from his son Abraham who worked as well as an enameller in Geneva. Jean-Abraham was trained by the celebrated Jean-Marc Roux and specialized in allegorical subjects. He was famous for his portrait miniatures and miniatures for the decoration of watch cases and gold boxes, often made in collaboration with Piguet & Meylan and destined for the export to China
Contrary to what is usually thought, painted enamel subjects are seldom through ones' own imagination, and Lissignol himself was inspired by, may it in some cases loosely known paintings and prints of the period. There are some differences between Lissignol's interpretations and the originals but this can be mostly attributed to the constricted techniques of enamelling. These changes though are most harmonious and it is sometimes suggested that this was the will of Lissignol himself. The enamel scene on the present watch is after Pierre-Paul Prud'hon's "Love Seduces Innocence, Pleasure Leads Them On, Repentance Follows", 1809(?), canvas, 97.5 x 81.5 cm, private collection.
The sumptuous case was done in the workshop of the Frères Oltramare, renowned monteurs de boîtes en or, makers of gold cases. Louis-David-Benjamin and Jean-Hughes were descendants of the Oltramare family of watchmakers, originally from Genoa, of which some members settled in Geneva in the 17th century. The brothers worked together and registered their hallmark in November 1815 after the liberation of Geneva from French occupation.
A nearly identical pair of quarter repeating watches by Piguet & Meylan decorated with the same enamel miniature is prominently described and illustrated in The Mirror of Seduction - Prestigious pairs of "Chinese" Watches, Patek Philippe Museum, 2010, pp. 120 & 121. The pair is on permanent exhibition in the celebrated Museum, inventory S-470 a+b (Love Seduces Innocence - after Pierre Paul PRUD'HON (1758-1823) - Pair of mirror-image watches made for the Chinese market - Enamel on gold attributed to Jean-Abraham LISSIGNOL (1749-1819) - Movements entirely in steel with quarter-repeater signed by PIGUET & MEYLAN (active between 1811 and 1828) - Geneva, circa 1815/20).
The present watch is listed on Louis Cottier's hand-written invoice of 18 January 1962. He dates it 1815-20. The servicing of the movement required 40 hours, totalling up to CHF400.
This watch and its spectacular combination of a lavishly decorated case and a complex, quarter movement is an outstanding example for a timepiece made for a Chinese dignitary. Of exceptional quality and preserved in excellent, original overall condition, it is amongst the most impressive "Chinese" watches to be offered in public in recent years.
This horological masterpiece is signed Piguet & Meylan, partners from 1811 to 1828, celebrated makers of repeating and musical movements of extraordinary quality. Alfred Chapuis states in his tome La Montre Chinoise, p. 65: "The most beautiful watches exported from Switzerland to China at the beginning of the 19th century are those bearing the signature Piguet or Piguet et Meylan, of Geneva", followed by extensive biographies of Isaac-Daniel Piguet and Philippe-Samuel Meylan, including black and white reproductions of their portraits.
Isaac-Daniel Piguet was born in Le Chenit in the Valley of Joux in 1775. At an early age, he specialized in the manufacturing of expensive and complicated pieces such as watches with carillons and en passant hour and quarter striking clock watches. He finally settled in Geneva where, in 1811, he formed a partnership with Philippe-Samuel Meylan.
Philippe-Samuel Meylan (1772-1845), a member of a family of renowned watchmakers, was born in Le Brassus. He specialized in the production of very thin watches and became an eminent maker of watches with musical automata.
The superb quality of the enamel decoration illustrates the celebrated art of enamel miniatures originating from Geneva in the early 19th century. It was not unusual during that period that an artist would sign his work. The enamel on the present watch however can be attributed to Jean Abraham Lissignol (1749-1819), also known as Père Lissignol (Lissignol father) to distinguish him from his son Abraham who worked as well as an enameller in Geneva. Jean-Abraham was trained by the celebrated Jean-Marc Roux and specialized in allegorical subjects. He was famous for his portrait miniatures and miniatures for the decoration of watch cases and gold boxes, often made in collaboration with Piguet & Meylan and destined for the export to China
Contrary to what is usually thought, painted enamel subjects are seldom through ones' own imagination, and Lissignol himself was inspired by, may it in some cases loosely known paintings and prints of the period. There are some differences between Lissignol's interpretations and the originals but this can be mostly attributed to the constricted techniques of enamelling. These changes though are most harmonious and it is sometimes suggested that this was the will of Lissignol himself. The enamel scene on the present watch is after Pierre-Paul Prud'hon's "Love Seduces Innocence, Pleasure Leads Them On, Repentance Follows", 1809(?), canvas, 97.5 x 81.5 cm, private collection.
The sumptuous case was done in the workshop of the Frères Oltramare, renowned monteurs de boîtes en or, makers of gold cases. Louis-David-Benjamin and Jean-Hughes were descendants of the Oltramare family of watchmakers, originally from Genoa, of which some members settled in Geneva in the 17th century. The brothers worked together and registered their hallmark in November 1815 after the liberation of Geneva from French occupation.
A nearly identical pair of quarter repeating watches by Piguet & Meylan decorated with the same enamel miniature is prominently described and illustrated in The Mirror of Seduction - Prestigious pairs of "Chinese" Watches, Patek Philippe Museum, 2010, pp. 120 & 121. The pair is on permanent exhibition in the celebrated Museum, inventory S-470 a+b (Love Seduces Innocence - after Pierre Paul PRUD'HON (1758-1823) - Pair of mirror-image watches made for the Chinese market - Enamel on gold attributed to Jean-Abraham LISSIGNOL (1749-1819) - Movements entirely in steel with quarter-repeater signed by PIGUET & MEYLAN (active between 1811 and 1828) - Geneva, circa 1815/20).