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Lot Essay
FANTASY OBJECTS FOR THE EXPORT MARKET
Incorporating a musical movement, watch and automata, the present longue-vue (spyglass) is both a superb jewel and a mechanical marvel. Through the marriage of precious materials, ingenious design and exquisitely executed decorative techniques, this work still possesses the power to enchant more than 200 years after its making.
Based on its iconography, it is possible that the present lot was made for the export market. Geneva was at the crossroads of the important trade routes at a time when there were few accessible ways of crossing the Alps and so was visited by many foreign tourists and traders. It was also a place of refuge for Protestants fleeing from persecution in other parts of Europe and they brought their skills and trades with them. Geneva had no natural resources, so there was an opportunity for these highly skilled craftsmen, such as refugee watchmakers from France and Germany, to develop their industry in a city already famous as a center of excellence for its goldsmiths. They concentrated on foreign markets, particularly China, Turkey and India where there was a huge demand for high-quality gold timepieces. The popularity of these enameled and pearl-set watches served to encourage the production of similarly decorated snuff-boxes and other objects of vertu. In addition to boxes, longue-vues, étuis, scent-bottles, carnet-de-bals and vinaigrettes were enameled with vari-colored flowers, often in strongly contrasting colors, sometimes with seed-pearl borders or overlaid with diamonds, and these found favor with the mid and far eastern markets.
This spyglass is possibly the pair to one sold at Christie's, New York, 28 April 1990, lot 128, later Antiquorum, Geneva, 22-23 April 1995, lot 502 (purchased by Lord Sandberg), and then Antiquorum, Geneva, 31 March-1 April 2001, The Sandberg Watch Collection, lot 46 (purchased by the Sandoz Collection), The Maurice Sandoz Collection, Switzerland. There are only a few of these magnificent revolving automata spyglasses known as nine are currently recorded and until now only one pair was known to have survived. Very much like scent-bottles, domino sets or automaton, these are believed according to Chapuis to have been made in pairs as favored by Chinese Emperors and Mandarins. A circa 1805 longue-vue attributed to Piguet & Capt depicting a hunting scene and made for the Chinese market was sold Patrizzi & Co., Geneva, on 25 October 2009, lot 111. Another by Piguet & Capt depicting a carriage scene was sold Sotheby’s, New York, 19 June 2001, lot 397.
HENRY DAVID-CAPT AND ISAAC-DANIEL CAPT
Henry-Daniel Capt (1773-1841) and Isaac-Daniel Piguet (1775-1841), two young watchmakers from Le Chenit, a small village in the Vallée de Joux (Canton of Vaud), came to Geneva to work at the beginning of the 19th century. They joined forces on 16 Ventôse in March 1802, under the name of Piguet & Capt, and specialized in the production of prestige timepieces jewelry and objects of vertu including snuff-boxes and bonbonnières. Many of their extraordinary works incorporated horological complications, scenes with automata, and were often musical. The partners were among the first in Geneva to use the musical mechanism with pinned cylinder and tuned vibrating blades.
This musical mechanism was invented in 1796 by Antoine Favre-Salomon (1734-1824), a Genevan clockmaker and mechanician, who presented it to the Société des Arts. The pinned cylinder mechanism produces music by making steel blades of different lengths vibrate by means of a cylinder fitted with goupilles piquées (pinned pins) or picots plantés (planted pimples) according to the expressions of the time. This cylinder is either driven by a gear and motor barrel or is directly the barrel containing the mainspring. The blades, tuned to the tones of the musical scale, are arranged like a keyboard – hence the early term musique à peigne (comb music). In its early days, this original mechanism was incorporated into small precious objects; only later was it incorporated into boxes made of wood or metal, more or less richly decorated, in an autonomous way.
The partnership between Piguet and Capt was dissolved late in 1810 or early 1811. While Henry-Daniel Capt continued to work alone for a few years, Isaac-Daniel Piguet joined Philippe-Samuel Meylan (1772-1845) in a new partnership. Capt, Piguet and Meylan were the primary Genevan makers of miniature automata and musical vertu in the first three decades of the 19th century. A fine gold and enamel nécessaire snuff bottle and timepiece attributed to Piguet & Capt was sold recently at Christie’s, Hong Kong, 27 November 2021, lot 2502. In the same sale, a gold, enamel and pearl-set musical timepiece automaton made for the Chinese market by Piguet & Capt was sold for 6,250,000 HKD (lot 2505). A rare gold and enamel pearl-set musical automaton vinaigrette attributed to Piguet & Capt was sold Christie’s, Geneva, 10 May 2021, lot 70.
Very often, timepieces and precious objects made in Geneva at the beginning of the 19th century are not signed. This was most likely due to customs restrictions and the continental blockade imposed by the British to counteract continental trade under Napoleon’s reign, Geneva having been annexed to France since 1798. Although most of Piguet & Capt’s works are unsigned, they sometimes engraved their names or stamped their trademarks on their movements.
The partnership of Geneva goldsmiths Phillipe Sené and his brother-in-law Henry Neisser was established in the autumn of 1805. Sené had previously been in partnership with Philippe Detalla since about 1795. He died in November 1807. Neisser, who had come to Geneva from Hanau in 1785/1786, entered a mark on his own in 1808 after Sené’s death.
Incorporating a musical movement, watch and automata, the present longue-vue (spyglass) is both a superb jewel and a mechanical marvel. Through the marriage of precious materials, ingenious design and exquisitely executed decorative techniques, this work still possesses the power to enchant more than 200 years after its making.
Based on its iconography, it is possible that the present lot was made for the export market. Geneva was at the crossroads of the important trade routes at a time when there were few accessible ways of crossing the Alps and so was visited by many foreign tourists and traders. It was also a place of refuge for Protestants fleeing from persecution in other parts of Europe and they brought their skills and trades with them. Geneva had no natural resources, so there was an opportunity for these highly skilled craftsmen, such as refugee watchmakers from France and Germany, to develop their industry in a city already famous as a center of excellence for its goldsmiths. They concentrated on foreign markets, particularly China, Turkey and India where there was a huge demand for high-quality gold timepieces. The popularity of these enameled and pearl-set watches served to encourage the production of similarly decorated snuff-boxes and other objects of vertu. In addition to boxes, longue-vues, étuis, scent-bottles, carnet-de-bals and vinaigrettes were enameled with vari-colored flowers, often in strongly contrasting colors, sometimes with seed-pearl borders or overlaid with diamonds, and these found favor with the mid and far eastern markets.
This spyglass is possibly the pair to one sold at Christie's, New York, 28 April 1990, lot 128, later Antiquorum, Geneva, 22-23 April 1995, lot 502 (purchased by Lord Sandberg), and then Antiquorum, Geneva, 31 March-1 April 2001, The Sandberg Watch Collection, lot 46 (purchased by the Sandoz Collection), The Maurice Sandoz Collection, Switzerland. There are only a few of these magnificent revolving automata spyglasses known as nine are currently recorded and until now only one pair was known to have survived. Very much like scent-bottles, domino sets or automaton, these are believed according to Chapuis to have been made in pairs as favored by Chinese Emperors and Mandarins. A circa 1805 longue-vue attributed to Piguet & Capt depicting a hunting scene and made for the Chinese market was sold Patrizzi & Co., Geneva, on 25 October 2009, lot 111. Another by Piguet & Capt depicting a carriage scene was sold Sotheby’s, New York, 19 June 2001, lot 397.
HENRY DAVID-CAPT AND ISAAC-DANIEL CAPT
Henry-Daniel Capt (1773-1841) and Isaac-Daniel Piguet (1775-1841), two young watchmakers from Le Chenit, a small village in the Vallée de Joux (Canton of Vaud), came to Geneva to work at the beginning of the 19th century. They joined forces on 16 Ventôse in March 1802, under the name of Piguet & Capt, and specialized in the production of prestige timepieces jewelry and objects of vertu including snuff-boxes and bonbonnières. Many of their extraordinary works incorporated horological complications, scenes with automata, and were often musical. The partners were among the first in Geneva to use the musical mechanism with pinned cylinder and tuned vibrating blades.
This musical mechanism was invented in 1796 by Antoine Favre-Salomon (1734-1824), a Genevan clockmaker and mechanician, who presented it to the Société des Arts. The pinned cylinder mechanism produces music by making steel blades of different lengths vibrate by means of a cylinder fitted with goupilles piquées (pinned pins) or picots plantés (planted pimples) according to the expressions of the time. This cylinder is either driven by a gear and motor barrel or is directly the barrel containing the mainspring. The blades, tuned to the tones of the musical scale, are arranged like a keyboard – hence the early term musique à peigne (comb music). In its early days, this original mechanism was incorporated into small precious objects; only later was it incorporated into boxes made of wood or metal, more or less richly decorated, in an autonomous way.
The partnership between Piguet and Capt was dissolved late in 1810 or early 1811. While Henry-Daniel Capt continued to work alone for a few years, Isaac-Daniel Piguet joined Philippe-Samuel Meylan (1772-1845) in a new partnership. Capt, Piguet and Meylan were the primary Genevan makers of miniature automata and musical vertu in the first three decades of the 19th century. A fine gold and enamel nécessaire snuff bottle and timepiece attributed to Piguet & Capt was sold recently at Christie’s, Hong Kong, 27 November 2021, lot 2502. In the same sale, a gold, enamel and pearl-set musical timepiece automaton made for the Chinese market by Piguet & Capt was sold for 6,250,000 HKD (lot 2505). A rare gold and enamel pearl-set musical automaton vinaigrette attributed to Piguet & Capt was sold Christie’s, Geneva, 10 May 2021, lot 70.
Very often, timepieces and precious objects made in Geneva at the beginning of the 19th century are not signed. This was most likely due to customs restrictions and the continental blockade imposed by the British to counteract continental trade under Napoleon’s reign, Geneva having been annexed to France since 1798. Although most of Piguet & Capt’s works are unsigned, they sometimes engraved their names or stamped their trademarks on their movements.
The partnership of Geneva goldsmiths Phillipe Sené and his brother-in-law Henry Neisser was established in the autumn of 1805. Sené had previously been in partnership with Philippe Detalla since about 1795. He died in November 1807. Neisser, who had come to Geneva from Hanau in 1785/1786, entered a mark on his own in 1808 after Sené’s death.