Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces
Hong Kong, Jul 23, 2020
LOT 46
John Pyke
Impressive “nécessaire” incorporating a watch, probably made for the Chinese market; 22K yellow gold and bloodstone
Impressive “nécessaire” incorporating a watch, probably made for the Chinese market; 22K yellow gold and bloodstone
HKD 450,000 - 650,000
CHF 54,800 - 79,200 / USD 58,100 - 83,900
22K yellow gold and mounted bloodstone, “nécessaire” in the shape of a quiver, integrating in the “étui” an open-face, key-winding, roundshaped, watch movement with one horological complication:
• Quarter-repeater on one bell by two hammers (activated by depressing the pendant)
“Etui” chased and engraved repoussé-work set with polished bloodstone panels; the lower part housing a pair of gold handled scissors, scraper, pencil, spoon and combination file with tweezers; the upper part contains the watch, the movement hinging from the “étui”; the chased and engraved repoussé-work pierced to allow the bell to sound clearly; gold repeating push pendant and bow.
White enamel dial with radial Roman numerals for the hours and radial Arabic numerals for the minutes (aperture for the winding at 12 o’clock); blue steel “Beetle & Poker” hands.
Movement 15’’’, full plate, fire gilded brass, engraved with foliate decoration, turned baluster pillars, fusee and chain, with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates, verge escapement, monometallic three-arm balance (gilded brass) and blued steel flat hairspring, pierced and engraved gilded English cock with mascaron, silver regulator disc; repeater work; silver dust ring.
Bell signed with an etching-needle “J”.
• Quarter-repeater on one bell by two hammers (activated by depressing the pendant)
“Etui” chased and engraved repoussé-work set with polished bloodstone panels; the lower part housing a pair of gold handled scissors, scraper, pencil, spoon and combination file with tweezers; the upper part contains the watch, the movement hinging from the “étui”; the chased and engraved repoussé-work pierced to allow the bell to sound clearly; gold repeating push pendant and bow.
White enamel dial with radial Roman numerals for the hours and radial Arabic numerals for the minutes (aperture for the winding at 12 o’clock); blue steel “Beetle & Poker” hands.
Movement 15’’’, full plate, fire gilded brass, engraved with foliate decoration, turned baluster pillars, fusee and chain, with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates, verge escapement, monometallic three-arm balance (gilded brass) and blued steel flat hairspring, pierced and engraved gilded English cock with mascaron, silver regulator disc; repeater work; silver dust ring.
Bell signed with an etching-needle “J”.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 2 |
Very good |
Movement: 2* |
Very good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-01 |
Good HANDS Original |
Brand John Pyke, London
Year circa 1750-1760
Caliber 15’’’, verge escapement
Dimensions 148.8 x 50.5 x 31 mm. (with the bow)
Signature movement
Notes
This type of object, made in the 1750-1760’s, corresponds to the first type of item made in London for the Chinese market, at the time of the first diplomatic gifts offered by the British royal court to the Middle Kingdom. They bear the signatures of London manufacturers such as James Cox, Robert Allam, J. Grantham, etc.
The construction of this object is complex. The manufacturer of the case, which unfortunately remained unknown, had to make a complete watch case so that the bell of the quarter-repeater mechanism could be correctly placed in the case-back and do its job. In order to allow the sound to “pass”, the watch case is therefore pierced out with a pattern similar to that of the repeater watches of the time, which are generally pair-cased, but it has remained plain, without any decorative engraving, since this case is fitted within a larger object. This larger object, the “nécessaire”, is also pierced in its upper part in order to diffuse the sound of the repetition. All this fits very harmoniously into the decoration of the “étui”.
This impressive piece, in excellent general condition, is to be compared with a few other models preserved today in museums or private collections. A total of five examples are known, all signed by John Pyke. The first two (including our object) have a watch with a quarter-repeater. Three others, of smaller dimensions, have a simple watch movement (see detailed list above).
Other gold “nécessaire” incorporating a watch signed by John Pyke, London
• Unnumbered, verge escapement, quarter-repeater, 22K gold and blood-stone panels, enamel dial (H. 12.5 cm). Christie’s, New York, auction, April 24, 2008, lot 29. European private Collection.
• Unnumbered (?), verge escapement, 22K gold and lapis-lazuli panels, gold dial (H. 11.8 cm). King Farouk of Egypt (1936-1965) Collection, until the end of his reign in 1952. Sotheby & Co., Cairo, auctions, March 10-17, 1954, The Palace Collections of Egypt, lot 615, illustrated pl. 33. Present location unknown.
• Unnumbered (?), verge escapement, 22K gold and ... panels (?) dial (H. 10.4 cm). Paris, Musée Cognacq-Jay. Guillet, David, Indispensables nécessaires, Paris, Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, 2007 (exhibition catalogue, Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et de Bois-Préau, October 24, 2007 – January 14, 2008; 118 pp.). Los Llanos, José de, & Grégoire, Christiane, Boîtes en or et objets de vertu au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, Editions Paris Musées, 2011 (exhibition catalogue, Musée Cagnacq-Jay, December 21, 2011 – May 6, 2012; 452 pp.).
• Unnumbered (?), verge escapement, 22K gold and grey agate panels, gold dial (H. ? cm.). Paris, Musée du Louvre (Inv. ?). Granjean, Serge, Catalogue des tabatières, boîtes et étuis des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles du musée du Louvre, Paris, Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, 1981 (470 pp.), No. 482.
Another étui incorporating a watch is known, the watch movement set in the lower part of the nécessaire:
• Unsigned and unnumbered, probably London, circa 1760-1770, verge escapement, 22K gold with repoussé décor depicting Venus and Cupid, enamel dial (H. 11 cm). Antiquorum, Geneva, auction, October 15, 1989, lot 344.
The “Nécessaires”
Privileged witnesses of the mores and taste of the Ancien Régime, the “nécessaires” are masterpieces using all the techniques of the decorative arts: cabinetmaking, cladding, crystal, porcelain, goldsmith and jewellery, and even watchmaking. They are the prestigious companions of the daily life and travels of the royal and imperial courts, then travellers of the Age of Enlightenment.
Mentioned as early as the 14th century, they have been in common use since the 16th century. It was not until the beginning of the 18th century that Princess Palatine (Elisabeth Charlotte of Bavaria, House of Wittelsbach (1652-1722), Duchess of Orléans) is credited with having coined the term “nécessaire” in her correspondence. The 1743 edition of the Trévoux’s dictionary defines this object as “a small box, divided into compartments, intended to contain various objects necessary or practical during a journey”.
Examples are known in the most varied and valuable materials. If the oldest of them contain utensils for meals or snacks, the fashion then extends to other gestures of daily life: toilet, sewing, writing, drawing or watercolour. In the 18th century, there were even numerous necessaires for scientific or technical use, made with no less keen decorative or artistic concern and rivalling each other in ingenuity and refinement.
The 18th century saw the rise of the pocket necessaire. Considered by Voltaire (Arouet, François-Marie, known as; 1694-1778) as “le siècle des petitesses” (the century of small things), this period saw the appearance of beautiful miniature “trinkets” and their accompaniments. The pocket necessaire, a miniature reproduction of the traditional traveling necessaire, is often offered as a prize in royal lotteries, as a gift between lovers or exchanged between the courts of Europe.
In London, around 1750-1780, James Cox specialized in this kind of article. These sumptuous creations, often made with a timepiece, were generally intended for export markets to faraway lands such as Russia or China.
Under Louis XVI, all these functions were brought together in a single ensemble, sometimes imposing, such as the famous “Marie-Antoinette’s” necessaire (Paris, Louvre Museum; Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, International Perfumery Museum).
It was after the Revolution, under the Consulate and the Empire, that necessities had their greatest vogue; the fashion continued after the Second Empire.
Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843), a Parisian silversmith, made sumptuous ones for Napoléon I at the beginning of the century (Paris, Carnavalet Museum; Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine, Château de Malmaison).
The 20th century continued this tradition of the luxury industry designed to embellish and facilitate daily life, especially when travelling, with the “vanity-case” and the “Minaudière” (this name and object would have been invented by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1934).
Houses such as Asprey in London, Hermès and Vuitton in Paris still make necessaires, often to special and unique orders.
Pyke, John, London (c.1695-1762)
Distinguished watchmaker established in London, working at Newgate Street, then Holborn and Bedford Row, then Grays Inn (1747). He was apprenticed in 1710 and admitted to the Freedom of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1720. In 1755, he was appointed Clock- and Watch-maker to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, future King George III. He died in 1762 (his will is dated May 13). He is mentioned by Baillie as an “eminent” and “great artist”.
John Pyke was a clockmaker who enjoyed complex mechanisms combined with music-playing machinery. He was responsible for the completion of Charles Clay’s musical clock, The Temple of the Four Grand Monarchies of the World, at Kensington Palace (Cupola Room; Inv. RCIN 1418), but now lacking its mechanisms. Another important astronomical clock signed by him, circa 1740, is kept today in the Royal Collection Trust, purchased by Queen Elizabeth II, from Malletts in 1960 (Inv. RCIN 30421).
His clocks and watches can be found in major international museum collections: in London, Victoria & Albert Museum; in Paris, Musée du Louvre and Musée Cognacq-Jay; etc.
His son, George Pyke (c.1725-1779), was also a reputed clockmaker with an interest in musical and automaton clocks. He was apprenticed to the Clockmakers’ Company in 1739 and becoming a freeman of the Company in 1753. George inherited his father workshop at Grays Inn, London (occupied until 1780), and was responsible for some of the finest musical and automaton clocks made in the 18th century. More concerning by the organ construction, he held the Royal Warrant as Organ-Maker to His Majesty’. He was described as “The first Mechanic in that Branch of any in the Kingdom”. He is also known for his clocks made for the Chinese Market, including one in the Imperial Palace Collection, Beijing. George Pyke, along with Charles Clay and James Cox, are considered the three greatest London makers of organ clocks of the eighteenth century. Pyke is particularly known for his monumental organ clocks, such as one by him now in the Warwickshire Museum, which plays eight tunes, four by Georg Friedrich Handel. Samuel Green (1740- 1796), a future famous organ-builder, was his apprentice (1754-1760).
The construction of this object is complex. The manufacturer of the case, which unfortunately remained unknown, had to make a complete watch case so that the bell of the quarter-repeater mechanism could be correctly placed in the case-back and do its job. In order to allow the sound to “pass”, the watch case is therefore pierced out with a pattern similar to that of the repeater watches of the time, which are generally pair-cased, but it has remained plain, without any decorative engraving, since this case is fitted within a larger object. This larger object, the “nécessaire”, is also pierced in its upper part in order to diffuse the sound of the repetition. All this fits very harmoniously into the decoration of the “étui”.
This impressive piece, in excellent general condition, is to be compared with a few other models preserved today in museums or private collections. A total of five examples are known, all signed by John Pyke. The first two (including our object) have a watch with a quarter-repeater. Three others, of smaller dimensions, have a simple watch movement (see detailed list above).
Other gold “nécessaire” incorporating a watch signed by John Pyke, London
• Unnumbered, verge escapement, quarter-repeater, 22K gold and blood-stone panels, enamel dial (H. 12.5 cm). Christie’s, New York, auction, April 24, 2008, lot 29. European private Collection.
• Unnumbered (?), verge escapement, 22K gold and lapis-lazuli panels, gold dial (H. 11.8 cm). King Farouk of Egypt (1936-1965) Collection, until the end of his reign in 1952. Sotheby & Co., Cairo, auctions, March 10-17, 1954, The Palace Collections of Egypt, lot 615, illustrated pl. 33. Present location unknown.
• Unnumbered (?), verge escapement, 22K gold and ... panels (?) dial (H. 10.4 cm). Paris, Musée Cognacq-Jay. Guillet, David, Indispensables nécessaires, Paris, Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, 2007 (exhibition catalogue, Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et de Bois-Préau, October 24, 2007 – January 14, 2008; 118 pp.). Los Llanos, José de, & Grégoire, Christiane, Boîtes en or et objets de vertu au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, Editions Paris Musées, 2011 (exhibition catalogue, Musée Cagnacq-Jay, December 21, 2011 – May 6, 2012; 452 pp.).
• Unnumbered (?), verge escapement, 22K gold and grey agate panels, gold dial (H. ? cm.). Paris, Musée du Louvre (Inv. ?). Granjean, Serge, Catalogue des tabatières, boîtes et étuis des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles du musée du Louvre, Paris, Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, 1981 (470 pp.), No. 482.
Another étui incorporating a watch is known, the watch movement set in the lower part of the nécessaire:
• Unsigned and unnumbered, probably London, circa 1760-1770, verge escapement, 22K gold with repoussé décor depicting Venus and Cupid, enamel dial (H. 11 cm). Antiquorum, Geneva, auction, October 15, 1989, lot 344.
The “Nécessaires”
Privileged witnesses of the mores and taste of the Ancien Régime, the “nécessaires” are masterpieces using all the techniques of the decorative arts: cabinetmaking, cladding, crystal, porcelain, goldsmith and jewellery, and even watchmaking. They are the prestigious companions of the daily life and travels of the royal and imperial courts, then travellers of the Age of Enlightenment.
Mentioned as early as the 14th century, they have been in common use since the 16th century. It was not until the beginning of the 18th century that Princess Palatine (Elisabeth Charlotte of Bavaria, House of Wittelsbach (1652-1722), Duchess of Orléans) is credited with having coined the term “nécessaire” in her correspondence. The 1743 edition of the Trévoux’s dictionary defines this object as “a small box, divided into compartments, intended to contain various objects necessary or practical during a journey”.
Examples are known in the most varied and valuable materials. If the oldest of them contain utensils for meals or snacks, the fashion then extends to other gestures of daily life: toilet, sewing, writing, drawing or watercolour. In the 18th century, there were even numerous necessaires for scientific or technical use, made with no less keen decorative or artistic concern and rivalling each other in ingenuity and refinement.
The 18th century saw the rise of the pocket necessaire. Considered by Voltaire (Arouet, François-Marie, known as; 1694-1778) as “le siècle des petitesses” (the century of small things), this period saw the appearance of beautiful miniature “trinkets” and their accompaniments. The pocket necessaire, a miniature reproduction of the traditional traveling necessaire, is often offered as a prize in royal lotteries, as a gift between lovers or exchanged between the courts of Europe.
In London, around 1750-1780, James Cox specialized in this kind of article. These sumptuous creations, often made with a timepiece, were generally intended for export markets to faraway lands such as Russia or China.
Under Louis XVI, all these functions were brought together in a single ensemble, sometimes imposing, such as the famous “Marie-Antoinette’s” necessaire (Paris, Louvre Museum; Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, International Perfumery Museum).
It was after the Revolution, under the Consulate and the Empire, that necessities had their greatest vogue; the fashion continued after the Second Empire.
Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843), a Parisian silversmith, made sumptuous ones for Napoléon I at the beginning of the century (Paris, Carnavalet Museum; Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine, Château de Malmaison).
The 20th century continued this tradition of the luxury industry designed to embellish and facilitate daily life, especially when travelling, with the “vanity-case” and the “Minaudière” (this name and object would have been invented by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1934).
Houses such as Asprey in London, Hermès and Vuitton in Paris still make necessaires, often to special and unique orders.
Pyke, John, London (c.1695-1762)
Distinguished watchmaker established in London, working at Newgate Street, then Holborn and Bedford Row, then Grays Inn (1747). He was apprenticed in 1710 and admitted to the Freedom of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1720. In 1755, he was appointed Clock- and Watch-maker to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, future King George III. He died in 1762 (his will is dated May 13). He is mentioned by Baillie as an “eminent” and “great artist”.
John Pyke was a clockmaker who enjoyed complex mechanisms combined with music-playing machinery. He was responsible for the completion of Charles Clay’s musical clock, The Temple of the Four Grand Monarchies of the World, at Kensington Palace (Cupola Room; Inv. RCIN 1418), but now lacking its mechanisms. Another important astronomical clock signed by him, circa 1740, is kept today in the Royal Collection Trust, purchased by Queen Elizabeth II, from Malletts in 1960 (Inv. RCIN 30421).
His clocks and watches can be found in major international museum collections: in London, Victoria & Albert Museum; in Paris, Musée du Louvre and Musée Cognacq-Jay; etc.
His son, George Pyke (c.1725-1779), was also a reputed clockmaker with an interest in musical and automaton clocks. He was apprenticed to the Clockmakers’ Company in 1739 and becoming a freeman of the Company in 1753. George inherited his father workshop at Grays Inn, London (occupied until 1780), and was responsible for some of the finest musical and automaton clocks made in the 18th century. More concerning by the organ construction, he held the Royal Warrant as Organ-Maker to His Majesty’. He was described as “The first Mechanic in that Branch of any in the Kingdom”. He is also known for his clocks made for the Chinese Market, including one in the Imperial Palace Collection, Beijing. George Pyke, along with Charles Clay and James Cox, are considered the three greatest London makers of organ clocks of the eighteenth century. Pyke is particularly known for his monumental organ clocks, such as one by him now in the Warwickshire Museum, which plays eight tunes, four by Georg Friedrich Handel. Samuel Green (1740- 1796), a future famous organ-builder, was his apprentice (1754-1760).