Lot 147

Matthey & Comp., Movement No. 1677, 51 mm, 69 g, circa 1790
An exquisite Louis XVI gold enamel verge pocket watch with matching gold enamel chatelaine with pendant and two keys
Case: 18k gold/enamel. Dial: enamel. Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, chain/fusee, three-arm brass balance.
This is a fine Louis XVI pocket watch, a French style movement dating to a period between rococo and neoclassicism. This example is a wonderful combination of playful rococo elements with the "straightforward", classical style of neoclassicism. The watch has a clear-cut dial with vertically aligned Roman numerals and delicate open work hands. The bezel is decorated with opalescent white and translucent blue enamel panels in a geometric pattern; the back shows an almond-shaped enamel medallion with a polychrome scene: a young lady in a classical robe, a dog and a pair of pigeons in a wide gold frame with inlaid white corn ears, flower tendrils and vases – the more naturalistic elements that replaced the rocailles and the abstract arrangements that came with it.

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