95th Auction

2017/5/6

Lot 105

Paul Philip Barraud, London, Movement No. 2504, 59 x 51 mm, 125 g, circa 1790
A gentleman’s remarkable and extremely rare oval gold enamel pocket watch with centre seconds and 12h power reserve indicator, studded with half pearls, produced for the Chinese market: "Cornelia, daughter of Africanus, mother of the Gracchi", who is regarded as one of the most important women in 2nd century BC Rome
Case: 18k gold and polychrome enamel. Dial: enamel. Movm.: oval full plate movement, keywind, chain/fusee, duplex escapement, three-arm brass balance, rack regulator.
The back is decorated with an oval enamel medallion and a very fine polychrome miniature painting of Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi. The champlevé enamel rim is studded with half pearls and decorated with translucent red and cobalt blue enamel on engine-turned ground as well as opaque light blue and gold. The pendant has red and blue enamelling.
We know of three watches by Paul Philip Barraud with the movement number 2504; all three have different cases. One is described in Cedric Jagger's 'The Supplement to Paul Philip Barraud' on page 255, another was presented at a Sotheby's auction in 2011. The third watch is the one we have here.
Paul Philipp Barraud (1750-1820)
Barraud was an English chronometer maker in London. His parents were Francis Gabriel Barraud and Magadalen Benine née Crespin, who was the daughter of a renowned Huguenot silversmith. In 1796 Barraud became a member of the Clockmakers Company of London and a master in 1810/11. He formed a partnership with George Jamieson and William Howells; of Barraud’s 7 children, his sons Frederick Joseph, John and James followed him into the business. From 1796 until 1820 they created more than 1,000 chronometers together.
Source: Wikipedia "Die freie Enzyklopädie" - "Paul Philipp Barraud", http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Philipp_Barraud, as of 02/10/2012

Sold

estimated
40.00080.000 €
Price realized
41.000 €