Louis Duchêne et fils à Genève Lot n° 5

Gold case Automaton representing an enameled Swiss landscape painted in the background. Under a dome, two couples of dancers turn on a stage surrounded by mirrors.  In the foreground, two musicians play the harp and mark the times. Hand-wound mechanical movement, cylinder escapement, flat three-armed brass balance with regulator. A striking mechanism drives the automatons thanks to a musical cylinder and six pairs of steel blades.  Diam: 2.36 in. The first automatons appeared in Geneva at the end of the 18th century, it can be a simple movement of characters allowing to indicate the time up to extremely complex scenes with several characters. The master watchmaker Louis Duchêne (1730- 1804) of Geneva was famous for these automaton and repeater watches. From 1791, his son became a partner and the company was renamed Louis Duchêne et fils. The firm excelled in the manufacture of enameled watches and watches with complications: minute repeater, small and large striking mechanism, jumping hours. But it will be known above all for these extraordinary automatons that were sold as far away as China. Manufactured by Louis Duchêne & fils, this automaton is a remarkable testimony to the work of one of the greatest watchmakers in Geneva. The complexity allowing to animate six different characters as well as a melody giving rhythm to the whole is exceptional.