Mechanical pocket watch with quarter chime
Mechanical pocket watch with quarter chime
Britain, London
Circa 1785
Gold, enamel, glass, metal alloys, pearls, rubies; painted enamel, guilloche enamel, champlevé, carving
5.6 in diameter
1.2 cm thick
On the movement: "Jaquet Droz London".
Mechanical pocket watch in artistically executed round gold case with decorative hub with ring. The case lid is rimmed with sash of pearls and rubies and decorated with the painted miniature on blue guilloche field depicting screen with Venus and two cupids.
White enamel dial; the hours' scale numerals are black, and the hands are pierced gold. The dial with two scales: minutes' - divided into 60 graduations, and hours' - divided into 12 units with Roman numerals. The bezel is rimmed with sash of pearls and rubies.
The movement with balance wheel, cylinder escapement, twin barrels, quarter repeater and the chime stopper. The watch is key winded, the same key is used to set the hands.
Intended for the Chinese market
The screen is a name for a flat or curved flap of a rigid frame with opaque filling (e.g., water colours or embroidery) used in "miracles" table lamps. With a source of light behind the screen, it created an effect of a moving cartoon. On the side of the light the picture was covered by mica or thin glass.
Инв.4015/ДПИ