Lot Essay
US$20,000-30,000
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AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION FROM A FAMILY TRUST
SWISS. A VERY RARE AND COMPLICATED 18K GOLD OPENFACE AUTOMATON WATCH WITH SEVEN INDIVIDUAL MOVING ACTIONS
UNSIGNED, CIRCA 1810
Details
SWISS. A VERY RARE AND COMPLICATED 18K GOLD OPENFACE AUTOMATON WATCH WITH SEVEN INDIVIDUAL MOVING ACTIONS
Unsigned, circa 1810
With two gilt-finished movements, one for the watch with cylinder escapement, the other for the complicated automata, white enamel dial with Arabic numerals, polished steel and blued steel hands, plain case with glazed back revealing the automaton work, the scene depicting a busy working kitchen, the figures and partial scene in three-coloured gold and raised, to the left a lady is sitting at her spinning wheel, the foot pedal and wheel moving, at the centre is the open fire and oven behind which a colour glass rod rotates to realistically imitate flames, roasting on a spit two chickens are rotating, the spit is moving by a connecting moving chain which itself is attached to a spinning wheel set with a running dog, at the far right is a water fountain with a faceted glass rod moving to simulate running water, the whole scene against a finely painted multi-coloured enamel background depicting the interior of a house, the automaton mechanism activated by a small lever in the band, pendant stamped with hallmarks, unsigned
59 mm. diam.
Unsigned, circa 1810
With two gilt-finished movements, one for the watch with cylinder escapement, the other for the complicated automata, white enamel dial with Arabic numerals, polished steel and blued steel hands, plain case with glazed back revealing the automaton work, the scene depicting a busy working kitchen, the figures and partial scene in three-coloured gold and raised, to the left a lady is sitting at her spinning wheel, the foot pedal and wheel moving, at the centre is the open fire and oven behind which a colour glass rod rotates to realistically imitate flames, roasting on a spit two chickens are rotating, the spit is moving by a connecting moving chain which itself is attached to a spinning wheel set with a running dog, at the far right is a water fountain with a faceted glass rod moving to simulate running water, the whole scene against a finely painted multi-coloured enamel background depicting the interior of a house, the automaton mechanism activated by a small lever in the band, pendant stamped with hallmarks, unsigned
59 mm. diam.