Attributed to Henry Capt, Geneva

A FINE AND RARE GOLD QUARTER REPEATING MUSICAL DOUBLE AUTOMATA WATCH WITH AUTOMATON JACKS AND SCENE OF A MUSIC LESSON CIRCA 1815, NO. 317 [ 罕有黃金二問懷錶飾天使敲鐘及音樂課場景活動人偶，年份約1815，編號317]

VAT applies to hammer price and buyer's premium

Lot Closed

November 12, 03:50 PM GMT

Estimate

20,000 - 30,000 CHF

Lot Details

Description

The Music Lesson

Attributed to Henry Capt, Geneva

A FINE AND RARE GOLD QUARTER REPEATING MUSICAL DOUBLE AUTOMATA WATCH WITH AUTOMATON JACKS AND SCENE OF A MUSIC LESSON

CIRCA 1815, NO. 317

[ 罕有黃金二問懷錶飾天使敲鐘及音樂課場景活動人偶，年份約1815，編號317]

• Movement: gilded full plate, separate trains for going and music/automaton, watch movement with cylinder escapement, plain flat three-arm balance, balance cock decoratively pierced and engraved with flowers and foliage, similarly decorated broad asymmetric foot, silver regulation plate, repeating on coiled gongs • music playing on demand via tuned teeth driven by a movement with pinned cylinder

• Dial: eccentric gold engine-turned dial, Arabic numerals, outer minute ring, surrounded by applied vari-colour gold putti striking bells in tandem with the repetition, music room scene beneath with applied vari-colour gold figures of a lady, her arms raising and lowering to strum the strings of a harp as a music teacher raises and lowers his baton

• Case: gold engine-turned case, the back centred with a vacant shield-shaped cartouche, milled band, polished bezel, gilt metal cuvette with three apertures and directionals for winding each train and setting hands, caseback numbered 2, 317 and with maker's mark G•D incuse

diameter 59mm

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Please note that the repeating is not working and will require a service.

A very similar watch by Henry Capt depicting the same automaton scene and numbered 364 was sold at Antiquorum Geneva, 24 April 1999, lot 593. For a further musical watch by Henry Capt with similar quarter repeating musical movement and an automaton scene (but without striking Jacks) see: P. Friess, The Emergence of the Portable Watch, Patek Philippe Museum, inv. S-677, Vol. IV, p. 42. The latter watch is numbered 381 and, like the present watch, also bears the case maker's mark GD.