Lot 57

Geneva, Case No. 8332, 57 mm, 122 g, circa 1800
An important gold enamel pocket watch of museum quality with three automatons: "The Falconer" - made for the Chinese market. In the last 40 years only five pieces of this very rare type of automaton watch have been offered to the international art market.
Case: 18k gold, glazed back with a polychrome enamelled pastoral scene and applied four colour gold automatons, case maker's punch mark "PIG". Dial: enamel. Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, chain/fusee, verge escapement, three-arm brass/steel balance.
The scene on the back of the case shows three simultaneous motion sequences: in the centre sits a fountain with running water that is symbolised by a revolving pole. On the right, a lady in court dress pumps water with her arm; a basket with flowers and fruit sits at her feet on the floor. On the left, a horse moves its head to drink from the fountain basin. The horseman on its back raises his left arm for a landing falcon while the dog at his feet is looking at the fine bird. Another dog drinks from the fountain overflow. The polychrome enamel background shows an alpine lake area with farm buildings amid lush vegetation.
A similar piece is owned by the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, inventory no. 10570; it was part of Prince Yusupov’s collection. Another one signed Ls. Duchéne & Fils is part of the Oskar Schwank Collection and illustrated and described in the catalogue "Zeit der kleinen Uhren", Collection Oskar Schwank; published by Uhrensammlung Kellenberger, Winterthur, inventory no. 2169.

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