94th Auction
2016/11/12
Lot 131
Richardson, London, Movement No. 571, 54 mm, 125 g, circa 1895
A gentleman's rare half pearl-set silver enamel pocket watch with a portrait of a young lady and centre seconds with half seconds jump - for the Chinese market
Case: silver, polychrome enamel. Dial: enamel. Movm.: bridge movement, lavishly florally engraved, duplex escapement, five-arm steel balance.
The exquisitely painted enamel medallion on the back is outstanding; it shows the profile portrait of a young woman against an opaque cobalt blue background. Her hair is pinned up with flowers in it and she wears a red silk dress with a fur collar, large gold earrings and a matching gold necklace.
Bezel, pendant and bow on the front are decorated with half pearls.
Many European makers of pocket watches, who produced watches for the Chinese market were the most renowned companies. They had branches in China and exported the movements and the wonderful enamelwork for the timepieces from England or Switzerland to China. The lavishly ornamented cases always had very distinctive decorations; the motifs have lost nothing of their appeal 200 years later – they are still highly sought-after collector’s pieces. Only very few of these enamel ornaments have survived the years undamaged – this makes a watch in its original condition like this one even more precious.
A gentleman's rare half pearl-set silver enamel pocket watch with a portrait of a young lady and centre seconds with half seconds jump - for the Chinese market
Case: silver, polychrome enamel. Dial: enamel. Movm.: bridge movement, lavishly florally engraved, duplex escapement, five-arm steel balance.
The exquisitely painted enamel medallion on the back is outstanding; it shows the profile portrait of a young woman against an opaque cobalt blue background. Her hair is pinned up with flowers in it and she wears a red silk dress with a fur collar, large gold earrings and a matching gold necklace.
Bezel, pendant and bow on the front are decorated with half pearls.
Many European makers of pocket watches, who produced watches for the Chinese market were the most renowned companies. They had branches in China and exported the movements and the wonderful enamelwork for the timepieces from England or Switzerland to China. The lavishly ornamented cases always had very distinctive decorations; the motifs have lost nothing of their appeal 200 years later – they are still highly sought-after collector’s pieces. Only very few of these enamel ornaments have survived the years undamaged – this makes a watch in its original condition like this one even more precious.
estimated
32.000—38.000 €
Price realized
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