Exceptionelle, rare et belle montre de gousset... Lot n° 28

Exceptionelle, rare et belle montre de gousset à cadran ouvert en or jaune 18K (750) avec automate musical remontoir à clef An exceptional, fine and rare 18K gold key wind open face musical automaton pocket watch Date: Circa 1810 Movement: Gilt full plate verge, 3-arm brass balance, pierced and engraved balance bridge, music playing on pinned disc, numbered under dial 387 Dial: Gilt with engraved scene of Father Time upon a globe, black Roman numerals to brushed surround, outer minute divisions, winding apertures near 6 and 10, polished hands Case: Polished round, classical scene to back with automaton man playing the lute whilst a lady dances back and forward and a sheep grazes up and down, the male rests against a finely engraved tree beside a dwelling, in the background an enamel pastoral scene beside the water and in front of a mountain, reeded band with button at 11 to activate automaton Size: 55mm Weight: 127,80g Footnotes: The Lute Player and The Dancer The popularity of the automaton watch during the late 18th and early 19th century coincided with the transformation of the watch from mechanical jewel into precision timekeeper. The watchmaker demanded ever more complex motion from the interaction of wheels and pinions and combined with ever more detailed enamelling and gold work, the automaton watch was born. Produced in very limited numbers, automatons are incredible pieces of art that stand as testament to the exceptional skills of the period. Automaton watches are complicated timepieces and traditionally feature at most 2 or 3 animations. On the current lot these take the form of a male playing the lute, a female dancing back and forth and a sheep grazing up and down. This is a busy scene with the automaton figures interspersed between a rustic dwelling and woodland beside a stream that leads to a hall. The lute player is a character seen on other automatons from this period but it is exceptionally rare to come across a musician accompanied by both a dancer and actual music. The combination of the three makes this a truly stunning piece of art. The addition of the grazing sheep minding its own business is then a lovely piece of gentle humour to this romanticised bucolic scene. Although not signed, this musical automaton timepiece is certainly in the style of celebrated makers such as Isaac Daniel Piguet or Henry Capt. It is not unusual for such complicated automatons to be not signed and Henry Capt in particular left most of his work unsigned with a limited number of pieces bearing his scratched name on the movements. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com Movement: Not running at time of cataloguing however automaton is functioning Dial: Light scratches throughout Hands: Minute hand is missing the tip Glass: Light scratches to the back glass Case: Light surface scratches, some tarnishing to the automaton We do not test any watches for their accuracy and as such timekeeping cannot be guaranteed. We advise that if you are bidding on a watch, that you or your agents are completely satisfied with the condition of the lot. We recommend that all watches are serviced and polished after the sale as they are handled throughout the viewing period. Please note that although Bonhams endeavour to include reference to any replacement parts within our Condition Reports we cannot confirm that each individual element of the watch is original or that, if replaced, the replacement has been made using original manufacturer's parts.