The Imperial Treasure from the Summer Palace and the Chinese Market Pocket Watch The origins of the ?Chinese? watch can be traced back to the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in China in the late 16th century. The Jesuits became very influential among the Chinese elite and at Court, bringing with them the latest in Western scientific and technological developments, which greatly impressed the Chinese. The Jesuits thus became important vectors of Western culture in China, while also conveying information about China to Europe. The complex and beautiful Western clocks were among the most convincing arguments the Jesuits could offer to gain access to the Chinese Emperors and to win their trust. Although Chinese diplomat and engineer Su Song had designed a clock tower with a form of mechanical escapement around 1092, by the 16th century mechanical horology had been forgotten and the only timekeepers in use in the Celestial Empire were clepsydras, or water clocks. When the young Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrived in Macao in 1582, his strategy included familiarization and adaptation to Chinese culture, as well as the idea that the Christian faith could best be taught ?from the top down?, that is, by convincing and converting the country?s elite ? scholars, courtiers, and officials. A learned man, Ricci used science to encourage faith ? ?propagatio fidei per scientias?, granting clocks an important role. In 1601, Ricci had the great honor of being summoned to the Forbidden City by Emperor Wan Li (r. 1572-1620), bringing rich presents with him. In his memoirs, he recalled how impressed the Emperor was with a clock that could ?strike the hours of its own accord?.
The Emperor?s passion for Western horology led to a wave of imitation among the Chinese elite and courtiers. Therefore, by the 17th century a great quantity of horological goods was being imported to China, but this trade did not become truly significant until the reign of Qianlong. The watchmaking ?Fabrique? in the Genevan republic was then flourishing, bolstered by Geneva?s hard-working, cosmopolitan population. The city, which had benefited from the influx of skilled Huguenot craftsmen, could boast of a population of many excellent watchmakers, enamelers, and engravers.
Initially pieces made for the Chinese trade did not differ from those made for European nobility, however around the second quarter of the 19th century a characteristic type of watch had evolved to satisfy the specific ?Chinese? taste. The ?Chinese? watch usually featured center jump seconds ? the Chinese are said to have enjoyed watching the sweep second hand as it moved around the dial ? and a lavishly engraved bar calibre movement and freestanding barrel. These watches were usually made as pairs, with identical enameled scenes that were reversed so as to be mirror images of one another. The decoration, with bright jewellike colors, was lavish and the bezels were generally adorned with beautiful pearls and other gems, often rubies. Some of the finest artists were called upon for the fine and delicate painted on enamel scenes ? among them Dupont, Richter, and Lissignol. The elaborately decorated cases, featuring chasing, engraving, enamel, and precious stones, were often made by Reymond. Among the superb craftsmen who worked for the Chinese market, mention must be made of Englishman James Cox (circa 1723-1800) who became famous in the mid 18th century for elaborate clocks and watches embellished with music and automaton scenes, that were sent to the Chinese court. Since Emperors Kangxi (r. 1662-1722) and Qianlong (r. 1736-1795) were both great lovers of Western horology, courtiers and ambassadors came to regard clocks as diplomatic gifts of choice. The Imperial collections grew and became extraordinarily rich. However, to please the Emperor and satisfy his hunger for clocks, in the late 17th century a clockmaking workshop was set up in the Forbidden City, employing both Jesuit and Chinese artisans. Such workshops produced great numbers of clocks and watches in the Western style. Among the European expatriates who worked as watchmakers in China were Francois-Louis Stadlin (1658-1740) from Zug, Imperial watchmaker to Kangxi; and Charles-Henry Petitpierre-Boy (b. 1769), who arrived with the Dutch embassy to China in 1794. In the late Qing dynasty, Emperor Guangxu (r. 1874-1908) had a fondness for Western horology, automation mechanisms and new inventions. Foreign ambassadors, courtiers, and nobility therefore often gave him priceless pieces. An American professor, Mr. Isaac Taylor Headland (1859- 1942) arrived in China in 1890 and married a physician, Dr. Mariam Sinclair, in Beijing. She was the physician of the Empress Dowager's mother and sister as well as to many of the princesses and high official ladies in Peking during the reign of Guangxu. The Headlands wrote a book recounting life at the court of the late Qing dynasty as seen through their eyes. The book revealed the wide variety of timepieces in the Palace and the residences of the nobility, ranging from splendid French enamel clocks, exquisite cuckoo clocks, various musical automaton clocks and newly designed pocket watches, music boxes, etc, which were among the finest pieces made in England and Switzerland. As the Emperors were all great lovers of Western horology, articles such as fans, mirrors, etuis and other items for the Imperial family were often decorated with enamel and gems and set with small-sized timekeepers. Preserved for over 200 years, the collections of more than 10 Emperors contributed to the priceless Imperial treasures in the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace in the late Qing dynasty. The Imperial collection of the Qing dynasty ought, therefore, to be extremely impressive. However, rampant corruption resulted in the fall of the Empire and led to the Second Opium War in 1860, during which a joint expedition of French and British forces attacked the Imperial Summer Palace. Much of the Emperor?s extraordinary collection, including many horological masterworks and other treasures, was stolen at the time. The French forces returning to France via Hong Kong carried with them countless Imperial treasures, including numerous European timepieces. These pieces were all extraordinarily designed, carefully crafted and set with pearls and precious gems. Some had been made in Switzerland, others in England, but all were invaluable masterpieces. After the pillage, Emperor Xianfeng (r. 1850-1861) commanded Sushun, courtier of the Empire, to calculate the loss. Of the huge numbers of valuable clocks, watches and timekeepers, only one large clock and approximately 130 small clocks, pocket watches and objects fitted with watches remained. Most of them had been damaged. From the Second Opium War in 1860 to the present day, China has suffered the turmoil of many natural disasters and wars, including the two World Wars of the first half of the 20th century. The surviving Chinese Imperial treasure, gathered over several centuries, is today extremely rare and of inestimable value. Antiquorum is deeply honored to present the following precious timepieces at this auction.
Literature:New York Times, 31 December, 1860 (http://www.nytimes.com/1861/03/06/news/hong-kongtrouble- between-foreigners-japanese-officials-lord-elgins- treaty-with.html) Isaac Taylor Headland, Court Life in China, the Capital, its Officials and People, New York, F.H. Revell, c. 1909.