Lot 282

A collection of three verge pocket watches
Johan Henner, Würtzburg, 59 mm, 176 g, circa 1740
An extremely rare Franconian pair-cased quarter repeating verge pocket watch
Case: outer case - silver. Inner case - silver, rear bell. Dial: silver, Champlevé. Movm.: full plate movement, chain/fusee, 2 hammers, three-arm steel balance.
Even though the outer case shown minor signs of wear, this is a high quality and very decorative watch from the workshop of the most renowned master in Würzburg and it combines all style elements of its period: The rim of the outer case is pierced and lavishly decorated with rocailles, scrolls, animals, medallions with town views and a mascaron. The inner case is almost immaculate, also pierced, with similar ornamentation and the engraved portrait of a lady of the court. The Champlevé dial is elaborately decorated and has Roman hours and Arabic minutes. The centre is signed with the maker’s signature "Henner Würtzbu" on a pedestal in a stylised baroque-style edifice in the background; it is flanked by the figure of a military commander and the figure of Hercules, with a profile portrait of Apollo in the background.
Johann Henner
Johann Henner was born 1676 in Wasserburg on Lake Constance. He became a master in 1709 and watchmaker to the court in 1732. In 1753 his son-in-law, the master Johann Trauner, was made a partner in Henner's business. Henner died 1756. Many of his watches are kept in private collections but some are also owned by a number of museums, such as for example the "Mainfränkisches Museum" in Würzburg.
Source: Jürgen Abeler, "Meister der Uhrmacherkunst", 2nd Edition, Wuppertal 2010, p. 233.

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