THE MOVEMENT BY PIGUET & CAPT; THE CASE BY JEAN-GEORGE REMOND (FL.1783-CIRCA 1820), GENEVA, CIRCA 1805-1810

Details

A SWISS JEWELLED ENAMELLED GOLD MUSICAL SNUFF-BOX
THE MOVEMENT BY PIGUET & CAPT; THE CASE BY JEAN-GEORGE REMOND (FL.1783-CIRCA 1820), GENEVA, CIRCA 1805-1810
Shaped as a purse, the base and cover with black and translucent blue guilloché enamel, set with split pearls and turquoise cabochons, the engine-turned sides with enamel borders; the sur plateau movement playing two tunes and stamped 855, with key, marked inside and on cover bezel with maker's marks and P&C in oval; the bezel with workshop number 855, Austrian control mark, and the French guarantee mark for 1809-1819
2 1/8 in. (53 mm.) long
gross weight 2 oz. 19 dwt. (93 gr.)

Provenance

Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, Geneva, 11 May 1983, lot 202.
A European Collection; Christie's, New York, 26 October 2007, lot 1.

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Harry Williams-Bulkeley International Head of Silver Department

hwilliams-bulkeley@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2666

Lot Essay

The case of this musical box is the work of one of Geneva's most celebrated casemakers, Jean-Georges Rémond. Born in Hanau in 1752, Rémond moved to Geneva in 1783 where he was registered as 'a jeweller from Hanau'. He formed throughout his career various companies with other goldsmiths recorded as 'pour exercer le commerce de bijouterie et horlogerie', which excelled in elaborate gold cases for watches and snuff boxes, often destined for export to China. Rémond created cases for Jaquet-Droz & Leschot, Frisard, les Frères Rochat and Piguet & Capt.

Isaac Daniel Piguet (1775-1841) was the first to create in 1802 a miniature musical piece in the form of a ring following the idea of Geneva watchmaker Antoine Favre (1767-1828) in 1796. Piguet went into partnership with his brother-in-law Henry Capt (1773-1841) from 1802-1811, specialising in musical and automaton snuff-boxes often intended for the Chinese and Ottoman markets.

In 1811, Piguet founded Piguet & Meylan with Philippe Samuel Meylan and together they produced elaborate and beautifully decorated musical watches, including skeleton and automaton watches, and mechanical animals. In 1828, the association ended and Isaac and his son David-Auguste Piguet established a new company, Piguet Père & Fils. In 1832 the company was dissolved and the commercial part was taken over by Charles Philippe Piguet de Morges while the technical part continued under Piguet & Cie directed by David Auguste. Isaac-Daniel Piguet died in Geneva, on January 20, 1841.

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