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Lot Essay
GENEVA, CITY OF ENAMELLERS
Geneva had an unrivalled reputation for its enamel painters since the time of Jean Petitot (1607-1691). However the most productive and inventive period for enamelled boxes undoubtedly started during the French occupation; at this time Geneva produced some of the most original boxes enamelled en plein which owed nothing to Parisian boxes and challenged their monopoly being more suited to new tastes.
The most productive maker was Jean George Rémond (1752-1830). Born and trained in Hanau, he moved to Geneva in 1783 when he was admitted as orfèvre bijoutier. Rémond formed over the course of his career several partnerships to accommodate changing circumstances, and produced during his thirty-five year career some of the most important boxes. He is also credited with having developed with his partners several techniques that made the reputation of Swiss enamel. Thus they were the first to developed hard polished fondants (which enhance colour and sheen), gold paillons decorations, the flinqué (engraving under translucent enamel) and borders set with half pearls. From about 1810, enamelling en plein was replaced by plaques keeping to the same style of scenes that had made Geneva's reputation.
JEAN-FRANÇOIS-VICTOR DUPONT AND THE CHINESE MARKET
The enamel plaque of this musical box is a fitting example of the celebrated art of Geneva enamel miniatures. Sadly many enamellers have remained anonymous except when their works are signed as on this scene. Jean-François-Victor Dupont (1785-1863) is remembered for his portraits of eminent personalities (King George IV, Henry VI, Napoléon among others), as well as his decoration of watches and boxes for the Chinese market. Dupond's style differs from that of most of his contemporaries, Jean Louis Richter, Jean Abraham Lissignol and Isaac Adam, by the originality and romanticism of the scenes and especially the vivacity of the colors, and a highly developed realism created by the use of the the pointillé technique. His palette was always extremely vivid, as on this box, because he made his own enamels and his “signature” colors were red, blue, and a special shade of purple.
Of course Dupont’s subjects were often determined by the fashions of the day and the demands of the market but the choice of "the Concert" is most appropriate for a musical box. The pearl-set border and the precise perfection of the enamel seem to confirm that this musical box was certainly intended for the Chinese market.
For comparable musical boxes with highly polished scene and pearl set border made for the Chinese market: see Christie's, London, 22 September 2022, lot 179 and H. Williams, op. cit., 2024, p. 153, no. 162.
Comparative literature:
H. Clouzot, Dictionnaire des miniaturistes sur émail, Paris, 1924, p. 71.
H. Williams, Enamels of the world, 1700-2000 : the Khalili collections, London, 2009.
H. Williams, The David & Mikhail Iakobachvili Collection, 19th century Snuffboxes, Monaco, 2024.
Geneva had an unrivalled reputation for its enamel painters since the time of Jean Petitot (1607-1691). However the most productive and inventive period for enamelled boxes undoubtedly started during the French occupation; at this time Geneva produced some of the most original boxes enamelled en plein which owed nothing to Parisian boxes and challenged their monopoly being more suited to new tastes.
The most productive maker was Jean George Rémond (1752-1830). Born and trained in Hanau, he moved to Geneva in 1783 when he was admitted as orfèvre bijoutier. Rémond formed over the course of his career several partnerships to accommodate changing circumstances, and produced during his thirty-five year career some of the most important boxes. He is also credited with having developed with his partners several techniques that made the reputation of Swiss enamel. Thus they were the first to developed hard polished fondants (which enhance colour and sheen), gold paillons decorations, the flinqué (engraving under translucent enamel) and borders set with half pearls. From about 1810, enamelling en plein was replaced by plaques keeping to the same style of scenes that had made Geneva's reputation.
JEAN-FRANÇOIS-VICTOR DUPONT AND THE CHINESE MARKET
The enamel plaque of this musical box is a fitting example of the celebrated art of Geneva enamel miniatures. Sadly many enamellers have remained anonymous except when their works are signed as on this scene. Jean-François-Victor Dupont (1785-1863) is remembered for his portraits of eminent personalities (King George IV, Henry VI, Napoléon among others), as well as his decoration of watches and boxes for the Chinese market. Dupond's style differs from that of most of his contemporaries, Jean Louis Richter, Jean Abraham Lissignol and Isaac Adam, by the originality and romanticism of the scenes and especially the vivacity of the colors, and a highly developed realism created by the use of the the pointillé technique. His palette was always extremely vivid, as on this box, because he made his own enamels and his “signature” colors were red, blue, and a special shade of purple.
Of course Dupont’s subjects were often determined by the fashions of the day and the demands of the market but the choice of "the Concert" is most appropriate for a musical box. The pearl-set border and the precise perfection of the enamel seem to confirm that this musical box was certainly intended for the Chinese market.
For comparable musical boxes with highly polished scene and pearl set border made for the Chinese market: see Christie's, London, 22 September 2022, lot 179 and H. Williams, op. cit., 2024, p. 153, no. 162.
Comparative literature:
H. Clouzot, Dictionnaire des miniaturistes sur émail, Paris, 1924, p. 71.
H. Williams, Enamels of the world, 1700-2000 : the Khalili collections, London, 2009.
H. Williams, The David & Mikhail Iakobachvili Collection, 19th century Snuffboxes, Monaco, 2024.