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Lot Essay
The present belt buckle with watch is a wonderful example combining European watchmaking technique and the fine art of glass encrusting.
Glass encrusted watches, ornaments and clocks were particularly favoured by the Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) and many of these decorative pieces were sent as gifts or tributes to the Palace.
A virtually identical belt buckle, possibly the “lost twin” of the present example, is on permanent exhibition in the prestigious Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Inv. S-675 (see illustration).
A set of glass encrusted belt buckle watches is illustrated in Catalogue of the Exhibition of Qing Dynasty Costume Accessories, National Palace Museum, No. 34. Other similar pieces can also be seen in Timepieces Collected by Qing Dynasty Emperors in the Palace Museum.
Glass encrusted watches, ornaments and clocks were particularly favoured by the Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) and many of these decorative pieces were sent as gifts or tributes to the Palace.
A virtually identical belt buckle, possibly the “lost twin” of the present example, is on permanent exhibition in the prestigious Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Inv. S-675 (see illustration).
A set of glass encrusted belt buckle watches is illustrated in Catalogue of the Exhibition of Qing Dynasty Costume Accessories, National Palace Museum, No. 34. Other similar pieces can also be seen in Timepieces Collected by Qing Dynasty Emperors in the Palace Museum.