Pendant Watch
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.
