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Pendant Watch

 (French, act. ca. 1650–60)
 (Swiss, 1612–1680)
Dateca. 1660
MediumGold and enamel
Dimensions1 7/8 x 1 5/16 x 1 1/4 in. (4.7 x 3.3 x 3.2 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Winthrop Kellogg Edey, 1999
Accession number1999.6.21
Commentary

By the late seventeenth century, the most sought after watches were set into lavish enamel cases that imitated miniature paintings on paper, parchment, or ivory. The technique of painting on enamel watchcases was developed in France, notably in Blois and Paris about 1630, but soon emerged in Geneva, thanks to Pierre Huaud, a Protestant who had fled France and established himself in Switzerland in the early seventeenth century. Only one watchcase signed by Huaud has survived; however, the distinctive colors and style of this example allow for the Huaud attribu­tion. The portrait on the back of the case is in the style of the French seventeenth-century painter Pierre Mignard.

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.

Not On View
Front view of Pocket Watch with enamel dial
Julien Le Roy
ca. 1750
Front view of pendant watch with an enamel dial
Dutertre
ca. 1765
Front view of Pendant Watch with enameled polycrhome dial decorated in the center with an image…
Henry Arlaud
ca. 1685
Front view of Pendant Watch with delicate enameld polychrome decoration
C. De Lespée
ca. 1620
Front view of Double-Dial Desk Watch Showing Decimal and Traditional Time
Abraham-Louis Breguet
ca. 1795–after 1807
Front view of Pocket Watch with enamel dial set in a case of gold
François Beeckaert
1750–55
Front view of watch with enamel dial in a gilt bronze case
Thomas Mudge
1757
Front image of Pocket Watch with Tourbillon showing the dial
Abraham-Louis Breguet
ca. 1820
Small enamel sculpture of the Christ child in a blessing
possibly 17th century or 19th century
Gold seated lion with scattered diamonds and enamel
Probably South German
ca. 1575
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