Ilbery, London. An exceptionally fine, very rare & important gold and enamel centre seconds duplex pocket watch, made for the Chinese market,
No.6068, made circa 1820. Enamel scene attributable to Jean-Louis Richter
£50,200
Auction: 21 November 2024 from 14:00 GMT
Description
Highly decorated gilt movement with duplex escapement, three-arm steel balance with diamond end-stone, blued steel balance-spring and blued steel compensation weights. White enamel dial with black Roman numerals, outer minutes, outermost 15 minute numerals, gilt hands with centre seconds, large gold case with decorated sprung cuvette, hinged reverse with central finely enamelled scene featuring period (Georgian) dressed sisters picking fruit within a country manor estate, the outer and bezel with matching blue, white, turquoise and red enamel decoration, the bow similarly decorated with pale blue enamel. Inner case back additionally numbered 44.
Dimensions
Diameter 59mm.
Footnote
The identical watch in all aspects, movement number 6067 and similarly numbered 44 to the inner reverse, was sold by Christie's London in 2005. Although Chinese market watches were sometimes created as a ‘mirror pair’, identical examples are especially rare.
Jean-Louis Richter (1766-1841) is considered a master-enameller with examples of his work found, amongst other places, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Specialising in landscapes and marine scenes for snuff boxes and watches for the Asian markets, this example is particularly notable for the original undamaged condition of the principle enamel scene.
William Ilbery (1760-1839) is one of the highest regarded and best known London makers of watches for the Asian market, adopting the decorated style of movement with duplex escapement with raised barrel, as found on this example. The cases Ilbery used for his Asian market watches were always of the highest quality and he worked with some of the best Genevan enamellers of the period such as Jean-Francois-Victor Dupont and Jean-Louis Richter. In researching this lot, examples of Chinese market watches by Ilbery that have previously appeared at auction, numbered 60XX, are of similar size, style featuring European characters, and usually described as ‘exceptional’.