Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, Nov 08, 2014

LOT 743

THE LYRE MUSICAL & AUTOMATON PENDANT "DANSE EN SAUTILLANT TANDIS" Attributed to Piguet et Capt. Made circa 1810. Fine and very rare, musical, gold, painted on enamel and pearl-set lyre-form pendant with automaton with two animations and one figure jumping with the music.

CHF 50,000 - 70,000

HKD 435,000 - 610,000 / USD 52,000 - 73,000

Sold: CHF 67,500

Lyre-form, gold, decorated with black and white champlevé enamel and set with graduated split-pearls, split- pearl-set hinged and sprung bezel, the back with a finely painted on enamel of two billing doves on a love trophy and flower garland on an opalescent guilloche sky background, black and white champlevé repeat pattern border, three- strand suspension chain with enameled ring. Painted on enamel with an alpine lake scene, in the foreground on a grass and flower bank a seated lady plays the barrel organ, her arm automated, to the right a gentleman dances the jig jumping up and down as the music plays, a dog is seated in the foreground, winding aperture in the lower center. 25 mm., gilt-brass, pinned barrel playing on five stacked steel teeth, activation lever protruding from the bezel.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2-24

Very good

Slightly chipped
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2-76

Very good

ENAMEL AND VARIOUS TYPES OF DECORATION Restored hard enamel

Notes

DIM. 58 x 37 mm. This gold and enameled pendant with musical automaton is of a rare type with "jumping" figure. As the music plays and the automaton is activated the lady turns the hurdy-gurdy and the figure of the gentleman "hops" up and down dancing a jig. A very similar lyre-form pendant also with jumping dancer and formerly in the Sir David Salomans Collection is illustrated in "Le Monde Des Automates", Chapuis & Gélis, 1984 reprint, p. 44, fig. 311. PIGUET & CAPT Specialized in the production of complicated watches, musical watches and automaton watches. Among the fi rst in Geneva to use the musical mechanism with pinned cylinder and tuned teeth comb, Henry-Daniel Capt was famous for his snuffboxes with music and automaton scenes. From Ventôse 16, An X (March 7, 1802), to 1811, he formed a partnership with Daniel Isaac Piguet, who was from the same village as he. Their signature was Piguet & Capt. In 1811, when Piguet broke off to join Meylan in a new partnership, Henry-Daniel Capt continued to work on his own until, in 1830, he went into partnership with Aubert and son, Place Bel-Air. Their signature was Aubert & Capt. They were among the first Genevan makers to produce watches with chronograph. In 1844 the workshop was at 108, rue Neuve in Geneva. It was then managed by Capt's son, Henry Capt Jr. After a short time it moved to 85, rue de la Fusterie, and in 1851, to 177, rue du Rhône. In 1880, the firm was bought by Gallopin and its name became H. Capt Horloger, Maison Gallopin Successeurs, a trademark registered on November 1, 1880, under the No. 44. This signature was only used for watches retailed in their own store, the watches supplied to other retailers being merely signed Henry Capt. Henri Capt, along with Isaac Piguet and Philippe Meylan, was the foremost maker of small musical automata in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Most of his work is not signed, although he sometimes scratched his name on his movements