Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...
Hong Kong, Jun 27, 2009
LOT 374
Portrait of Adele Le Roy Louis Simon a Paris, No. 1553, the enamel signed J.F. Soiron and dated 1808. Very fine and rare, quarter-repeating, 18K gold pocket watch, the back set with a painted on enamel miniature by Jean-Francois Soiron of Mme. Adele Lucas, née Le Roy.
HKD 65,000 - 75,000
USD 9,500 - 11,000 / EUR 6,500 - 7,500
Sold: HKD 72,000
C. Three-body, ?Empire? by Amy Gros, polished, faceted band, the glazed hinged back cover set with a finely painted on enamel portrait miniature, the counter-enamel inscribed ?Mme. Adele Lucas, née Le Roy, Paris, 1808?. Gold cuvette with apertures for winding, hand-setting and regulation and secured by a screw. D. White enamel by Lucard, gold painted Breguet numerals, outer minute track. Gold Breguet hands. M. 50 mm., frosted gilt, standing barrel, cylinder escapement, three-arm gold balance, flat balance spring, index regulator, all-or-nothing repeating on two gongs activated by depressing the pendant. Dial and cuvette signed, miniature signed on obverse. Diam. 56 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AA |
Very good |
Case: 3-21 |
Good Period |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-24-01 |
Good Slightly chipped HANDS Original |
Notes
Jean-François Soiron (1756-1812)
A miniaturist and painter on enamel who specialized in portraits and landscapes and often decorated watch cases, Soiron was apprenticed to Jacques Teulon in Geneva from 1768 to 1773. He entered into partnership with David Frainet and Etienne Frégent and from 1788 to 1794 was a partner of Jean Alexandre Grand. He taught several apprentices, among them: François Gerbel, in 1775; Groud, in 1778; J.-L. Fournier, in 1779; P.-A. Marguerot and Antoine Gillet, in 1783; Jean-Louis Henry, in 1784; François Chappuis, in 1792; and finally L.A. Fabre, with whom he became associated - for just one year - in 1796. In 1799 he is known to have been a member of the Société des Arts. He emigrated shortly afterward to Paris, where he established a business in 1800. At the Paris Salon of 1800 he exhibited three portraits and a vase of flowers; he also exhibited in 1801. In 1804 several portraits by Soiron were exhibited in the Salon, and in 1806 he presented a portrait of Napoleon on horseback and one of Vivant Denon. In 1808 Soiron exhibited portraits of Napoleon and Josephine as well as several enamel paintings and, for the last time in 1810, portraits and enamel scenes. In 1802, Soiron worked for the Sèvres porcelain factory. He died in Paris in 1812.
Alexandre Ami Monnier Born in Neuchâtel, he was a well-known Master horologist of the second half of the 18th century. He became associated with Jean Marc David Rochat in 1784, then, toward the end of 1789, with Jean-Pierre Mussard.