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Lot Essay
With two presentation cases and three keys.
A stunning marriage of 19th century Swiss automata technology and exquisite craftsmanship, this pair of singing bird pistols epitomizes the creativity of watch makers in Europe to satisfy the ever-growing demands for clocks and automata by the Imperial court and its courtiers in China, as well as European aristocrats and royal families, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Barely a handful of single singing bird pistols are known in the entire world and they are found in the world's most prestigious museums and private collections. One single pistol is found in the Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem which houses the Sir David Salomons Magnificent Collection of Clocks and Watches (see The Art of Time - The Sir David Salomons Collection of Watches and Clocks by George Daniels and Ohannes Markarian, L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art, edition 2009, p. 62). Another single pistol is recorded in the Maurice Sandoz Collection in Switzerland. The Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Switzerland owns two single pistols, one of which was purchased at Christie's in 1989.
The present pair is the most advanced version of this type of singing bird pistols attributed to Fres Rochat and the only publicly known examples of their kind in a matching pair. Thier stunning beauty and perfectly preserved condition render these pistols amongst the greatest rarities in the world of automated objects. As renowned Swiss watchmakers and historians Chapuis and Gelis so aptly wrote in their book e Monde des Automates (The World of Automatons), still regarded today as the ultimate reference on automatons, "Among the objects incorporating singing birds, these very fine pistols present the greatest difficulties, both in their conception and execution."
This pair of singing bird pistols was prominently displayed at the recent landmark exhibition The Mirror of Seduction - Prestigious Pairs of Chinese Watches, curated and held in 2010 at the celebrated Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.
Ever since the late 16th century, when the Jesuit missionary Matteo European powers saw this infatuation as their chance to gain access to the highest reaches of the Chinese court by selecting clocks or watches as tributes or gifts. To satisfy the Chinese market, master goldsmiths, enamellers and technicians, from England, France and Switzerland respectively, combined their skills and artistry to manufacture increasingly lavish and whimsical timepieces and objects of fantasy in all guises.
The present pair is attributed to Frères Rochat, three brothers who worked in Geneva, Switzerland from 1800 to 1835. They were most famous for perfecting the highly complex singing bird mechanism and placing it in cages, mirrors and even pistols. The ingenuity of these pistols is beyond description: each pistol features a bird that shots out of the double barrels, pivots, moves its wings and tail, and opens its beak to sing and then disappears again. With the spectacular combination of sumptuously decorated cases and exceedingly intricate movements, these matching pistols are the perfect example of such coveted decorative objects made for discerning dignitaries and royalty in China and Europe.
A stunning marriage of 19th century Swiss automata technology and exquisite craftsmanship, this pair of singing bird pistols epitomizes the creativity of watch makers in Europe to satisfy the ever-growing demands for clocks and automata by the Imperial court and its courtiers in China, as well as European aristocrats and royal families, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Barely a handful of single singing bird pistols are known in the entire world and they are found in the world's most prestigious museums and private collections. One single pistol is found in the Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem which houses the Sir David Salomons Magnificent Collection of Clocks and Watches (see The Art of Time - The Sir David Salomons Collection of Watches and Clocks by George Daniels and Ohannes Markarian, L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art, edition 2009, p. 62). Another single pistol is recorded in the Maurice Sandoz Collection in Switzerland. The Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Switzerland owns two single pistols, one of which was purchased at Christie's in 1989.
The present pair is the most advanced version of this type of singing bird pistols attributed to Fres Rochat and the only publicly known examples of their kind in a matching pair. Thier stunning beauty and perfectly preserved condition render these pistols amongst the greatest rarities in the world of automated objects. As renowned Swiss watchmakers and historians Chapuis and Gelis so aptly wrote in their book e Monde des Automates (The World of Automatons), still regarded today as the ultimate reference on automatons, "Among the objects incorporating singing birds, these very fine pistols present the greatest difficulties, both in their conception and execution."
This pair of singing bird pistols was prominently displayed at the recent landmark exhibition The Mirror of Seduction - Prestigious Pairs of Chinese Watches, curated and held in 2010 at the celebrated Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.
Ever since the late 16th century, when the Jesuit missionary Matteo European powers saw this infatuation as their chance to gain access to the highest reaches of the Chinese court by selecting clocks or watches as tributes or gifts. To satisfy the Chinese market, master goldsmiths, enamellers and technicians, from England, France and Switzerland respectively, combined their skills and artistry to manufacture increasingly lavish and whimsical timepieces and objects of fantasy in all guises.
The present pair is attributed to Frères Rochat, three brothers who worked in Geneva, Switzerland from 1800 to 1835. They were most famous for perfecting the highly complex singing bird mechanism and placing it in cages, mirrors and even pistols. The ingenuity of these pistols is beyond description: each pistol features a bird that shots out of the double barrels, pivots, moves its wings and tail, and opens its beak to sing and then disappears again. With the spectacular combination of sumptuously decorated cases and exceedingly intricate movements, these matching pistols are the perfect example of such coveted decorative objects made for discerning dignitaries and royalty in China and Europe.