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Lot Essay
This stunning painted on enamel watch incorporates an exceptional 17th century painted on enamel panel that can be attributed to the great Blois enameller Robert Vauquer. During the reign of Louis XIV, watches such as this were among the most admired of high status objects, combining both the technical wonder of the mechanical watch and the highest caliber of artistic craftsmanship.
The art of painting on enamel, invented in Blois, reached its apogee in France in second half of the 17th century and has never been surpassed. The enamels produced by artists like Robert Vauquer are of breathtaking beauty and possess a depth that gives them an almost three-dimensional quality.
Enamel watch cases were greatly treasured by their owners as masterpieces in their own right, so that when the movements became outdated, particularly following the introduction of the balance spring in 1675, many of their owners had new watches made that incorporated their earlier fine enamels. Some Blois watch cases were converted into snuff boxes or the backs and covers were preserved for their artistic value and beauty alone.
The present watch was updated by the famous watchmaker Johannes van Ceulen in the early 18th century by the addition of precious stones to both the frame and dial and making the earlier spectacular enamel panel the centerpiece of his new creation.
Robert Vauquer (1625-1670) was one of the most accomplished enamel painters of his day and appears to have worked for his entire career in Blois. Vauquer is particularly famous for his extraordinary cases for watches, for which his brother Jacques engraved a series of designs.
Engravings by Jacques Vauquer are in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum in London. A watch decorated with a scene of the Holy family signed "Vauquer pinxit", is said to have belonged to Anne of Austria.
A series of paintings on enamel representing scenes from the Passion, signed "Robertus Vauquerius Blesensis", is in the collection of the numismatic cabinet of the Vatican, a gift of Pope Leon XII. Other examples of enameling attributed to Robert Vauquer may be found at the Patek Philippe Museum, Geneva.
Johannes Van Ceulen
Born circa 1630, (place of birth unknown) van Ceulen became a citizen of the Hague in 1676 where he died in 1715. The Hague was the only Dutch city with an independent clockmakers guild at this time. Pieter Visbagh was the dean of the guild and had taken over the workshop of Salomon Coster, however he was not the only clockmaker working for Christiaan Huygens. Johannes van Ceulen made several clocks for Huygens, as the quality of his work was exceptionally good. He was commissioned by Huygens to make a marine movement to his design to which van Ceulen applied a Cardan suspension, this was a precursor to the marine chronometer. Van Ceulen also made a movement for an Orrery for Huygens in 1681. After van Ceulen started making suggestions to Huygens for improvements on movements the latter was insulted and looked for another clockmaker. Van Ceulen was prolific; he also made many watch movements.
Theagenes and Chariclea is an ancient Greek romance, the only known work of Heliodorus of Emesa. Chariclea, the daughter of King Hydaspes and Queen Porsine of Ethiopia, was born white because her mother gazed upon a marble statue while pregnant. Fearing an accusation of adultery, Porsine gives her baby daughter to the care of Sisimithras, a gymnosophist, who carries her to Egypt and places her in charge of Charicles, a Pythian priest. She is then taken to Delphi, and made a priestess of Apollo. Theagenes, a noble Thessalian, comes to Delphi and the two fall in love with each other. He carries off Chariclea with the help of Calasiris, an Egyptian, employed by Porsine to seek for her daughter. Then follow many perils from pirates, bandits, and others, but the chief personages ultimately meet at Meroe at the very moment when Chariclea is about to be sacrificed to the gods by her own father. Her birth is made known, and the lovers are happily married.
The art of painting on enamel, invented in Blois, reached its apogee in France in second half of the 17th century and has never been surpassed. The enamels produced by artists like Robert Vauquer are of breathtaking beauty and possess a depth that gives them an almost three-dimensional quality.
Enamel watch cases were greatly treasured by their owners as masterpieces in their own right, so that when the movements became outdated, particularly following the introduction of the balance spring in 1675, many of their owners had new watches made that incorporated their earlier fine enamels. Some Blois watch cases were converted into snuff boxes or the backs and covers were preserved for their artistic value and beauty alone.
The present watch was updated by the famous watchmaker Johannes van Ceulen in the early 18th century by the addition of precious stones to both the frame and dial and making the earlier spectacular enamel panel the centerpiece of his new creation.
Robert Vauquer (1625-1670) was one of the most accomplished enamel painters of his day and appears to have worked for his entire career in Blois. Vauquer is particularly famous for his extraordinary cases for watches, for which his brother Jacques engraved a series of designs.
Engravings by Jacques Vauquer are in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum in London. A watch decorated with a scene of the Holy family signed "Vauquer pinxit", is said to have belonged to Anne of Austria.
A series of paintings on enamel representing scenes from the Passion, signed "Robertus Vauquerius Blesensis", is in the collection of the numismatic cabinet of the Vatican, a gift of Pope Leon XII. Other examples of enameling attributed to Robert Vauquer may be found at the Patek Philippe Museum, Geneva.
Johannes Van Ceulen
Born circa 1630, (place of birth unknown) van Ceulen became a citizen of the Hague in 1676 where he died in 1715. The Hague was the only Dutch city with an independent clockmakers guild at this time. Pieter Visbagh was the dean of the guild and had taken over the workshop of Salomon Coster, however he was not the only clockmaker working for Christiaan Huygens. Johannes van Ceulen made several clocks for Huygens, as the quality of his work was exceptionally good. He was commissioned by Huygens to make a marine movement to his design to which van Ceulen applied a Cardan suspension, this was a precursor to the marine chronometer. Van Ceulen also made a movement for an Orrery for Huygens in 1681. After van Ceulen started making suggestions to Huygens for improvements on movements the latter was insulted and looked for another clockmaker. Van Ceulen was prolific; he also made many watch movements.
Theagenes and Chariclea is an ancient Greek romance, the only known work of Heliodorus of Emesa. Chariclea, the daughter of King Hydaspes and Queen Porsine of Ethiopia, was born white because her mother gazed upon a marble statue while pregnant. Fearing an accusation of adultery, Porsine gives her baby daughter to the care of Sisimithras, a gymnosophist, who carries her to Egypt and places her in charge of Charicles, a Pythian priest. She is then taken to Delphi, and made a priestess of Apollo. Theagenes, a noble Thessalian, comes to Delphi and the two fall in love with each other. He carries off Chariclea with the help of Calasiris, an Egyptian, employed by Porsine to seek for her daughter. Then follow many perils from pirates, bandits, and others, but the chief personages ultimately meet at Meroe at the very moment when Chariclea is about to be sacrificed to the gods by her own father. Her birth is made known, and the lovers are happily married.