Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 18, 1997

LOT 650

Unsigned, Swiss, the enamel panel painted by Richter, circa 1830. Very fine 18K four-coloured gold and enamel, pearlset musical snuff-box.

CHF 70,000 - 90,000

Sold: CHF 75,900

C. Double body rectangular with canted corners, the enamel panel of the lid with split-pearl set borders, finely painted by Richter with a riverside landscape, a castle and mountains on the back, a rowing boat on the foreground with a family enjoying a nice afternoon. Engine-turned side and back panels with four coloured gold floral and foliage decoration chased over a matted ground. Musical movement: Brass rectangular with canted corners, pin-cylinder with a comb of 60 teeth and fly regulator, playing two tunes at will with bolts in the front panel. Dim. 60 x 100 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent

Case: 17

Slightly spotted

Movement: 2

Very good

Notes

Jean Louis Richter (1766-1841) He learned his art uncle' David-Etienne-Roux and Philippe-Samuel- Theodore Roux, becoming a most renowned enamel painter. His speciality was the painting of landscapes and particularly lake and marine scapes, often representing ships in a harbour or battles with fighting Men-of-war. He also painted portraits and hunting scenes. Although it may happen that his signature, iii running hand-writing, appears on some of his work, more often than not his pantings are unsigned but can clearly be recognised as being in his hand from the style and duality of the work. FIe applied his art principally to watch cases and snuff boxes and these were largely destined for the Chinese, Turkish, British and Italian markets. Richter, like other great enamel painters of the time, often found inspiration for his work from paintings or engravings by the artists then in fashion, such as Van der Myn (1684-1741), Giovanni Battista Cipriani (1727-1785), John Francis Rigaud (1742-1820), John Hoffner (1748-1810) and Francesco Bartolozzi (1727-1815), or even from particularly famous scenes such as the " Rape of Helen " from the engraving by Guido Reni (1575-1642), now in the Cabinet des Estampes, Paris.