Lot description
ATTRIBUTED TO PIGUET & CAPT. A HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND MAGNIFICENT 18K GOLD AND ENAMEL, PEARL-SET MUSICAL AMPHORA FORM WATCH WITH CONCEALED AUTOMATON, MADE FOR THE CHINESE MARKET, SWISS, THE ENAMEL ATTRIBUTED TO JEAN-LOUIS RICHTER, GENEVA, CIRCA 1805 Movement: manual, oval full plate, fixed barrel, cylinder escapement, steel escapement wheel, silver four-arm balance with diamond accents. Music and automaton with five-wheel train, small two-wing fly governor, pinned barrel with six stacked tuned teeth, automaton animated by two cams driven by the musical train Dial: white enamel, Breguet numerals within an oval blue enamelled plate with aperture for the visible polished steel diamond-set balance, white enamel subsidiary seconds above Case: Painted enamel panel below the watch decorated with a scene of Helen and Paris, opening to reveal the varicoloured gold automaton scene of a bow swing with a cherub at one end and a seated winged figure playing the lyre at the other, a winged cherub playing the kettle drums below, finely painted background with a wooded landscape, the body of the case richly set with graduated pearls and inlaid with polychrome champlevé enamel, sides with foliate engraving, set with pearls and polychrome champlevé enamel, the handles set with graduated pearls in a leaf design, the painted enamel panel over the watch movement decorated with a vase of flowers in a gold engraved border and a further translucent green enamel border with lion’s head decoration, a scene of a putto riding a swan above, 97 cm. high, 57 mm. wide With: A 19th century gold-tooled red morocco fitted case and double-ended gilt metal key Remarks: Exceptional "Montre de Fantaisie", fresh to the market & unknown until today
