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Lot Essay
This rare knife is part of a very small number of musical knives that have appeared over the course of time at auction and in museums.
It is also one of the most impressive examples, not only by the richness of its enamelling unequalled by others but also the multiplicity of its implements which includes an enamelled gold blade, a watch and a magnifying glass unseen on other known examples. This combination of implements together with the choice of the ornaments suggest this knife could have been intended to be use as a flower knife. Its pair is now in the Patek Philippe Museum (Inv. S-469) also confirm that like many of the known examples, it was intended for the Chinese Market.
A RARE PIECE
Of the seventh other known examples, each has their individualistic style with only three with watch and most, except two, are pairs; all unsigned and attributed to Piguet & Capt or to Piguet & Meylan.
The first is now in the collection of Sir David Salomons in the L.A. Mayer Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem (Inventory BO 19-70), and was previously in the collection of Gustave Loup.
The second one, a twin to the previous one was offered at Sotheby’s Geneva, 13 May 2018 lot 200. Both are simpler version to the present lot and are enamelled in translucent green and red with fruit trophies enhanced by festoons of pearls.
The third musical fruit knife with watch is in the collection of the Patek Philippe Museum, Geneva (Inventory S-316) previously in the Gustave Loup Collection enamelled with a landscape with castle on the front and a windmill near a lake on the back (see P. Friess, Peter, The Emergence of the Portable Watch, 2015, Volume IV, p.395, further illustrated and described in Moore, Simon, Pocket Fruit Knives, 2008, p. 113, pl 5.25).
The fourth one, slightly plainer, enamelled in translucent dark red with black and sky blue ornaments was sold at Sotheby’s, Geneva, 14 November 2012 lot 137 , previously in the Anton C. Dreesmann Collection (inventory No F-172) sold at Christie’s, London, 11 April 2002, lot 800.
The fifth one with watch was sold with Antiquorum, Geneva, 15 May 2023, lot 457 attributed to Piguet & Meylan or Piguet & Capt, it is enamelled with a bowl of fruits surrounded by birds on pink ground.
The sixth one, its pair is in the Patek Philippe Museum (Inv. S-316).
The seventh one is a twin to ours and is in the collection of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva (Inv. S-469).
ATTRIBUTED TO PIGUET & MEYLAN
This fruit knife is a technical marvel, equipped with a barillet music work with six tooth comb concealed within the handle, and activated by a button to the side, as well as a cylinder movement clock. Swiss miniature engineering work made it possible to incorporate very small music boxes into an object of daily use by using the body as a sounding board.
Isaac Daniel Piguet (1775-1841) was the first to create in 1802 a miniature musical piece in the form of a ring following the idea of Geneva watchmaker Antoine Favre (1767-1828) in 1796. Piguet went into partnership with his brother-in-law Henry Capt (1773-1841) from 1802-1811, specialising in musical and automaton watches.
In 1811, Piguet founded Piguet & Meylan with Philippe Samuel Meylan (1772-1845) one of Geneva first and most inventive watch and clock maker and together they produced elaborate and beautifully decorated musical watches, including skeleton and automaton watches, and mechanical animals.
In 1828, the partnership ended and Isaac and his son David-Auguste Piguet established a new company, Piguet Père & Fils. In 1832 the company was dissolved and the commercial part was taken over by Charles Philippe Piguet de Morges while the technical part continued under Piguet & Cie directed by David Auguste. Isaac-Daniel Piguet died in Geneva, on January 20, 1841.
Piguet et Meylan produced some extremely fine and flat pieces such as this knife.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Alfred Chapuis (with coll. of Gustave Loup, La montre chinoise. Relations de l’Horlogerie suisse avec la Chine, Neuchâtel, Editions Attinger Frères, 1919, p. 64, fig. 42 a.
Patek Philippe Museum, The Emergence of the Portable Watch, Geneva, Patek Philippe Museum Editions, 2015, vol. IV.
Simon Moore, Pocket Fruit Knives, A Synopsis of Their History from the United Kingdom, France, Northern Europe and USA, Editions Antique Knives Ltd., 2008, p. 113, pl. 5.25.
Ian White, The Majesty of the Chinese Market Watch, London, The Antique Horological Society, 2018.
George Daniels & Ohannes Markarian, Watches & Clocks in the Sir David Salomons Collection, including scientific instruments, boxes and automata, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, L. A. Mayer Memorial Institute for Islamic Art, 1980, p. 282, ill. 168.
It is also one of the most impressive examples, not only by the richness of its enamelling unequalled by others but also the multiplicity of its implements which includes an enamelled gold blade, a watch and a magnifying glass unseen on other known examples. This combination of implements together with the choice of the ornaments suggest this knife could have been intended to be use as a flower knife. Its pair is now in the Patek Philippe Museum (Inv. S-469) also confirm that like many of the known examples, it was intended for the Chinese Market.
A RARE PIECE
Of the seventh other known examples, each has their individualistic style with only three with watch and most, except two, are pairs; all unsigned and attributed to Piguet & Capt or to Piguet & Meylan.
The first is now in the collection of Sir David Salomons in the L.A. Mayer Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem (Inventory BO 19-70), and was previously in the collection of Gustave Loup.
The second one, a twin to the previous one was offered at Sotheby’s Geneva, 13 May 2018 lot 200. Both are simpler version to the present lot and are enamelled in translucent green and red with fruit trophies enhanced by festoons of pearls.
The third musical fruit knife with watch is in the collection of the Patek Philippe Museum, Geneva (Inventory S-316) previously in the Gustave Loup Collection enamelled with a landscape with castle on the front and a windmill near a lake on the back (see P. Friess, Peter, The Emergence of the Portable Watch, 2015, Volume IV, p.395, further illustrated and described in Moore, Simon, Pocket Fruit Knives, 2008, p. 113, pl 5.25).
The fourth one, slightly plainer, enamelled in translucent dark red with black and sky blue ornaments was sold at Sotheby’s, Geneva, 14 November 2012 lot 137 , previously in the Anton C. Dreesmann Collection (inventory No F-172) sold at Christie’s, London, 11 April 2002, lot 800.
The fifth one with watch was sold with Antiquorum, Geneva, 15 May 2023, lot 457 attributed to Piguet & Meylan or Piguet & Capt, it is enamelled with a bowl of fruits surrounded by birds on pink ground.
The sixth one, its pair is in the Patek Philippe Museum (Inv. S-316).
The seventh one is a twin to ours and is in the collection of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva (Inv. S-469).
ATTRIBUTED TO PIGUET & MEYLAN
This fruit knife is a technical marvel, equipped with a barillet music work with six tooth comb concealed within the handle, and activated by a button to the side, as well as a cylinder movement clock. Swiss miniature engineering work made it possible to incorporate very small music boxes into an object of daily use by using the body as a sounding board.
Isaac Daniel Piguet (1775-1841) was the first to create in 1802 a miniature musical piece in the form of a ring following the idea of Geneva watchmaker Antoine Favre (1767-1828) in 1796. Piguet went into partnership with his brother-in-law Henry Capt (1773-1841) from 1802-1811, specialising in musical and automaton watches.
In 1811, Piguet founded Piguet & Meylan with Philippe Samuel Meylan (1772-1845) one of Geneva first and most inventive watch and clock maker and together they produced elaborate and beautifully decorated musical watches, including skeleton and automaton watches, and mechanical animals.
In 1828, the partnership ended and Isaac and his son David-Auguste Piguet established a new company, Piguet Père & Fils. In 1832 the company was dissolved and the commercial part was taken over by Charles Philippe Piguet de Morges while the technical part continued under Piguet & Cie directed by David Auguste. Isaac-Daniel Piguet died in Geneva, on January 20, 1841.
Piguet et Meylan produced some extremely fine and flat pieces such as this knife.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Alfred Chapuis (with coll. of Gustave Loup, La montre chinoise. Relations de l’Horlogerie suisse avec la Chine, Neuchâtel, Editions Attinger Frères, 1919, p. 64, fig. 42 a.
Patek Philippe Museum, The Emergence of the Portable Watch, Geneva, Patek Philippe Museum Editions, 2015, vol. IV.
Simon Moore, Pocket Fruit Knives, A Synopsis of Their History from the United Kingdom, France, Northern Europe and USA, Editions Antique Knives Ltd., 2008, p. 113, pl. 5.25.
Ian White, The Majesty of the Chinese Market Watch, London, The Antique Horological Society, 2018.
George Daniels & Ohannes Markarian, Watches & Clocks in the Sir David Salomons Collection, including scientific instruments, boxes and automata, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, L. A. Mayer Memorial Institute for Islamic Art, 1980, p. 282, ill. 168.