Important Watches, Collector's Wristw...

The Ritz-carlton Hotel, Hong-kong, Jun 08, 2002

LOT 421

The Barking DogJ.D. Piguet & P. Meylan, Geneva, No. 146, enamel attributed to Jean-François-Victor Dupont, circa 1815, made for the Chinese market.Extremely rare and very fine 18K gold, pearl-set, painted on enamel, quarter-repeating "barking dog" automaton watch. Accompanied by a wooden box.

HKD 0 - 0

EUR 0 - 0 / USD 0 - 0

Sold: HKD 3,540,000

C. Four-body, "Empire", back with very finely painted on enamel scene with a couple on the outskirts of a woodland holding a butterfly, a castle and mountains in the background, protective over-glaze on the top, half pearl-set bezels, champlevé enameled band, gilt matte hinged cuvette with winding and setting apertures, bolt at 2 o'clock to block the pendant, aperture for the sound with a shutter at 6 o'clock, which opens by depressing the pendant. D. Eccentric, set at the top of dark blue transucent enamel engine-turned plate, white enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions. Blued steel Breguet hands. Lower part with applied varicolored gold and silver automaton scene of a dog barking at a swan, which appears to be hissing back, the dog moves its head with each movement of the bellows, all in a wetland with the swan standing on a small piece of grass over water.M. 49 mm. ø, gilt brass half-plate, free-standing barrel, cylinder escapement, steel escape wheel, plain three-arm brass balance, flat balance spring. The repeating barking mechanism with a round bellows and whistle is activated by depressing the pendant.Signed on the cuvette, the movement stamped "P&M" and "145", and scratched on the dial plate "par I. D. Piguet et P. Meylan à Genève" (the barking dog watches by Piguet & Meylan, Nos. 19 and 34, contain identical inscriptions), the cuvette stamped inside with the makers' mark, back panel stamped with casemaker's mark "L.E" in a lozenge.Diam. 59 mm.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3 - 51
Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2 - 01

Notes

The watch repeats the hours and quarters with the barking of a dog; the rarest and most amusing form of repeating. The scene is after a painting by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) "Swan Attacked by a Dog", a theme which he treated several times in the 1740's. Of the approximately twenty known barking dog watches, this appears to be the most elaborate.The quality of the enamel painting on the back indicates that it was done by a very skilful and experienced artist, while the softness of the composition, the man's posture, the shape of his hand as he puts his arm around the lady, are all characteristic of Dupont. In The Sandberg Watch Collection (Antiquorum, March 31 and April 1, 2001, No. 418) there was a watch with a similar enamel panel, signed by Dupont, thereby dispersing all possible doubts regarding the identity of the artist of the preent lot.The scene symbolizes love and the higher emotions. Psyche, the Greek Goddess of the soul, has been often represented by a butterfly, symbolizing the fragility of emotions. The soldier/lover brings a butterfly to his loved one, to prove that his heart and thoughts are pure and his intentions honorable, and that he will care for her with the same gentleness as one observes when handling a butterfly.Jean-Francois-Victor Dupont (1785-1863)A highly reputed painter on enamel and porcelain. His work includes portraits of King George IV, Henry IV, H-B de Saussure, and others. He painted enamels for Ilbery, destined for the Oriental market. He is known for the beauty and elegance of his work, as well as for his distinctive palette, due to the fact that he mixed his own colors.The remarkable manner in which the figures in the foregrounds seem to advance, giving an impression of depth, is characteristic of his art. "Dictionnaire des Horlogers Genevois", by Osvaldo Patrizzi, Antiquorum Editions, Geneva, 1998.Piguet & MeylanIsaac Daniel Piguet and Philippe Samuel Meylan were in partnership from 1811 to 1828. From 1815 until the end of their association in 1828, Piguet and Meylan both lived, with their families, in the same house located at number 45 of the rue Chevelu (today re-named the rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau).Isaac Daniel PiguetBorn in Chenit in 1775, died in Geneva in 1841. A very skilful watchmaker, he entered into partnership first with Henry Capt, from 1802 to 1811, and then with Samuel Philippe Meylan, another watchmaker from the same village, until 1828. Their work was marked with the initials "PM" within a lozenge. After 1828, Piguet continued his activities with his son, either under the name of Piguet & Fils, or under that of I. D. Piguet & Cie. Their creations were for a large part made for the Chinese marketPhilippe Samuel MeylanBorn February 15, 1772, in Bas-du-Chenit, died in Geneva in 1845. At 20 years old he came to Geneva where he was a master worker for the Godemar Frères. He met another watchmaker from his native re-gion, Isaac Piguet, and they entered into partnership, founding the Piguet & Meylan firm, which was to last from 1811 to 1828. It specialized in minute cadratures, musical watches, ske-leton and automaton watches. Meylan is also credited with the invention of the bagnolet caliber. After Piguet & Meylawas dissolved, Philippe Samuel Meylan conti-nued to work with his sons François and Auguste.