Property from an Important Italian Collection
EDOUARD JUVET, FLEURIER | A MATCHED PAIR OF FINE GOLD AND ENAMEL OPEN-FACED WATCHES MADE FOR THE CHINESE MARKET, CIRCA 1865, NO. 41981 AND 42308
Auction Closed
October 28, 01:13 PM GMT
Estimate
75,000 - 95,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from an Important Italian Collection
EDOUARD JUVET, FLEURIER
A MATCHED PAIR OF FINE GOLD AND ENAMEL OPEN-FACED WATCHES MADE FOR THE CHINESE MARKET
CIRCA 1865, NO. 41981 AND 42308
Movements: each with gilded highly decoratively engraved Chinese calibres, duplex escapements, diamond endstones, signed and numbered Edouard Juvet, Fleurier, 41981 & 42308
Dials: white enamel, Roman numerals, centre seconds
Cases: gold, polychrome enamel panel depicting a shepherd playing a flute for two young maids, champlevé enamel decoration to bezels and pendant, engraved decoration to gold cuvettes, numbered 41981 & 42308
diameters 59mm & 58.5mm
Accompanied by a later associated fitted presentation case
No. 42308 - Antiquorum Geneva, 14 October 1990, lot 389.
Romanticised country views were a popular genre used to decorate the enamel panels of Chinese-market watches. These bucolic scenes were inspired by the works of artists such as William Hamilton (1751-1801) whose series 'Morning', 'Noon', 'Evening' and 'Night' may have influenced the composition of the enamel painted panels on the present two watches. An almost identical watch once formed part of the famous watch collection of Samuel N. Tonkin. The latter piece, numbered 41972, sequentially just nine numbers prior to the lowest of the two numbered watches offered here, was sold at Sotheby & Co., New York, 13 November 1967, lot 45. A further pair of almost identical watches may be found at the Musée L.U.Ceum, - Traces du Temps, at the Chopard Manufacture S.A. in Fleurier, Switzerland; the latter watches are also described and illustrated in: Didier, M. & Tellier, A., The Mirror of Seduction, Prestigious Pairs of Chinese Watches, Patek Philippe Museum publication, 2010, pp. 132-133. In total, approximately 8 watches by Juvet are known with the same country scene as that found on the present matched pair. In all these examples the figures are depicted facing the same direction. While watches with different scenes to the present pair - but which are themselves identically styled to one another - are known, this genre was also produced in mirror image pairs. However, as demand was growing for decorative enamel watches within the Chinese market during the second half of the 19th century, one may speculate that the popularity of the present scene meant that, for reasons of expediency, a decision was made to commission the present scene in one format only.
Édouard Juvet (1820-1883) was already established as a watchmaker in Buttes in 1842 but he quickly moved his workshop to Fleurier in 1844. According to Édouard’s correspondence, which was examined by A. Chapuis whilst preparing his book La Montre Chinoise, Juvet began manufacturing watches in 1856. A year later,
Édouard’s nephew Louis Juvet left for China to organise the sale of the company’s watches there. Tragically Louis was killed in an accident and his brother Charles, who replaced him in Shanghai, also died in China. Fritz Laidrich who had worked for the Juvets in Fleurier travelled to China to work for the company and he was joined by Édouard’s son, Ami-Louis, who later died there. In August 1871, in his stead, Ami-Louis’ brother Léo (1848-1891) travelled to China to work for the family firm. Édouard died in February 1883 and his son Léo succeeded him as head of the company. By the time of Édouard’s death, the Juvet firm had greatly expanded and prospered. In Shanghai they were rivalled only by the Bovets (with whom they retained friendly relations), and the company’s success led Juvet to open further branches in Tientsin and Saigon. For a more detailed history of the Juvets, see: A. Chapuis, La Montre Chinoise, 1919, pp. 148-149.