Montre

Historical significance

• "Chinese" watch, China style movement, signed: Ilbery London 6974. Part of the Sarazin-Von der Mühll collection. Beginning of the 19th century.
• The case-back is decorated with a scene from antiquity painted on enamel. Taken from Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid, it shows the parting of Dido and Aeneas. The latter is preparing to board a ship, while Dido faints into the arms of two of her ladies-in-waiting. Such paintings were generally done by enamellers from Geneva. Their skills were greatly appreciated by leading watchmakers in France and England who ordered their cases from them. The design for the scene depicted here, which recalls the work of A. Kauffmann, has not been identified.
• The two bezels and large pendant are decorated with blue and black champlevé enamels.
• The white enamel dial has painted Roman numerals for the hours. The spade hour and minute hands are surmounted by a fine blued steel centre seconds hand.
• The movement, which is characteristic of Ilbery’s work, has a plate engraved with flowered scrolls. Fitted with a duplex escapement, it has a centre seconds hand, an engraved hanging barrel with a stopwork, and a five-armed polished steel balance. The blued steel balance spring and the plate’s engraved decoration can be seen through the pierced balance cock, which has a diamond endstone.

Sources & references

1. Musée international d'horlogerie, online collection record, inv. I-99: https://collection.mih.ch/fr/collection/item/38598/

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.