A SILVER AND ENAMEL TIMEPIECE, HERMANN BÖHM, VIENNA, CIRCA 1870

The L.A. Mayer Memorial Institute, Jerusalem, inventory no. CL 81-19

Interestingly, the underside of the domed base of this timepiece is painted in a pale pink vermiculated pattern, which resembles a distinct style of enamel that was hugely popular for gold boxes made in Paris between 1781 and 1783. Although the trailblazer for this short-lived fashion was probably Joseph-Etienne Blerzy, one of the most prolific and accomplished late eighteenth century Parisian bijoutiers (see for example Serge Grandjean, Catalogue des tabatières, boîtes et étuis des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles du musée du Louvre’, Paris, 1981, no. 37, p. 54), this type of decoration was first used at the porcelain factory of Sèvres. One of the earliest examples is a jardinière from 1760, now located in the Petit Palais in Paris, its sides covered in a delicately ‘bleu lapis vermiculé on a pink ground (Marcelle Brunet, Tamara Préaud, Sèvres. Des origins à nos jours, Fribourg, 1978, nr. 106, p. 159, inv. Tuck 96). The fashion did not last particularly long for Sèvres pieces either, yet it is another example of the exchange of ideas between the category of ceramics and objects of vertu in the 18^th century, partially fuelled by painters working in both materials. Although merely used as a decorative layer for a barely visible part in this 19^th century timepiece, Hermann Böhm demonstrated a considerable knowledge of different types and styles of enamel across periods, combining vermiculé with basse-taille and en plein enamel techniques, once more resulting in the eclectic appearance which had become so typical for late 19^th century Viennese enamel.