Lot 63

Thomas Vernon, London, Movement No. 318, Case No. 103, 49 mm, 123 g, circa 1730
A fine pair-cased quarter repeating gold enamel verge pocket watch with chinoiserie enamel decoration
Case: outer case - gold. Inner case - gold, rear bell. Dial: enamel. Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, chain/fusee, 2 hammers, three-arm brass balance.
Chinoiserie art already in 18th century Europe modeled itself on Chinese works of art and was immensely popular at the time. The enthusiasm for all things Chinese was fed by an interest in exotic and unusual cultures as well as the illusion of a gigantic peaceful empire where even the lower classes occupied themselves with literature and philosophy.
Source: "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia" - "Chinoiserie", http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinoiserie, as of 02/14/2009.
Thomas Vernon was apprenticed in 1701 and gained his Freedom from the Clockmakers Company seven years later in 1708. He worked in Fleet Street and died in 1731.