Provenance : By family tradition, this fan was given by Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg Gotha to the Vicomte de Morais and thence by family descent. This important gold and enamel musical fan is one of only three known to exist with a watch and music. It is very closely related and undoubtedly from the same workshop as a fan sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, October 15th, 1994, lot 615, formerly the property of King Farouk of Egypt (see illustration). The present fan whilst not an exact pair to the Farouk fan has some identical features, particularly the fl ower panels and dial which are almost identical and most significantly the musical movement with rather unusual method of activation by a slide in the manner of a repeating watch. The only other example known was formerly in the collection of the famous Breguet collector, Sir David Salomons. A magnifi cent object de luxe, like the other fabulous and exotic precious objects made in Geneva at the beginning of the 19th century, this fan would have been the exclusive preserve of Royalty and the very upper echelons of polite society. The fan leafs were often painted by popular artists of the day beautifully executed in watercolours on vellum. Many of the enamelled gold watches and musical objects by makers such a Piguet and Capt were destined for the Chinese market where the exquisite workmanship was valued and appreciated.
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 fi rst 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 fi rm 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 Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg Gotha (1785-1851) A general in the cavalry of the Austrian Imperial and Royal army during the napoleonic wars. He was a nephew of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and also King Leopold II of Belgium. On 15 September 1808 Ferdinand became Oberst in the Husaren- Regiment Erzherzog Ferdinand d'Este Nr. 3. It was in this regiment that he served in the War of the Fifth Coalition under Field Marshal Prince Hohenzollern. He received the knight's cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. Before the Battle of Wagram he was named General of the Kavallerie Fürst Liechtenstein. On 15 April 1811 he was named Generalmajor. Ferdinand married Princess Maria Antonia Kohàry de Csàbràg et Szitnya, daughter and heiress of Ferenc Jozsef. When Antonia's father died in 1826, she inherited his estates in Hungary Add photos of fan watch Lot 615, October 15th, 1994 & Portrait of Ferdinand.