Orpheus and Eurydice Orpheus, a legendary Thracian poet, famous for his skill with the lyre, married the wood nymph Euridyce. On trying to escape from Aristaeus, an unwelcome suitor, Eurydice trod on a snake and died from its bite. Frantic with grief, Orpheus obtained permission from Pluto (or Hades) to descend to his kingdom of the underworld and bring back Eurydice, on the condition, however, that he did not look at her before reaching the world of the living. Orpheus surmounted the obstacles on his way, calmed clown the fierce Cerberus with his lyre, overcame the Furies and rescued his wife from the dead. But as he arrived at the door of Hades, he turned round to make sure that Eurydice was following him and by so doing Eurydice disappeared from his sight for ever. Jean Louis Richter (1766-1841) He learned his art under 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 stapes, often representing ships in a harbour or battles with fighting Men-of-War. He also painted portr aits and hunting scenes. Although it may happen that his signature, in 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 quality of the work. He 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. William Ilbery, London (?-1839) Active in London from 1780 in Goswell Street, he moved to Duncan Terrace towards the end of the 18th century. Following James Cox in London and Jaquet-Droz in Switzerland, he too specialised in the production of luxury watches for the Chinese Market. His early production was very much in the English style featuring a full plate movement and an English type single wheel duplex escapement; however, for his highest quality watches, he incorporated a spring detent escapement. The cases were also very much in the style of those produced in England at the time. Later, along with Jaquet-Droz's Swiss production signed in London and that of William Anthony who worked in London, the watch movements he produced were much inspired by the Lepine calibre with free standing barrel. In fact he set a new standard for all watches made for the Asian Market. He organised the production of profusely engraved movements in Switzerland, mainly in Flenrier; he was followed in that by makers such as Bovet and Juvet who also worked in Flcurier (Val de Travers). Bovet and Juvet organised a mass production of silver-cased watches and later, once their Canton manufactu es were opened, they assembled these directly in China. Ilbery can therefore be considered as the "father" of «Chinese watches", as they are known today. The cases of his watches were decorated in Geneva by the best enamellers, such as Jean-Francois-Victor Dupont, who often signed his work, and Jean-Louis Richter, whose enamels were generally not signed. He seems to have maintained close contacts with the continental trade since a watch signed "Ilbery Paris" is known and Ilbery & Son are recorded in London and Fleurier, other than in Canton. "Chinese watches» were often sold by pairs and therefore each pair was fitted in a box especially designed. Whenever such pairs of watches were enamelled, their ornaments were always painted in a symmetrically opposed manner, as in mirror i mages.