a rare and important gold and enamel musical scent flask, jaquet Droz, London, circa 1790

cylinder movement with rose-cut diamond-set balance, stylized gilt-metal movement in the form of a lyre, engraved with scrolls, white enamel dial, roman numerals, the balance exposed through a glazed roundel on the body of the flask, with exposed dial below, bezels set with split-pearls alternating with emeralds, the back opens to reveal the musical movement playing on a nest of five bells with five hammers, the base fitted with a concealed hinged compartment, the body shaped as a flattened pear, engine-turned and enameled florets and vinery in opaque white and translucent green enamel, the hinged back centered by an oval chased with a vari-color gold lady reading in a garden setting, the cartouche-form stopper decorated with a floral spray set with split pearls and emeralds, the stopper unscrews to reveal a key at its tip, the movement signed Jacquet Droz, London, the stopper base stamped M&P crowned and a heart below.

The firm of Jacquet-Droz, in business from 1752- 1784, was started by Pierre Jacquet Droz. He was later joined by his sons Henri-Louis Droz and Jean-Frederic Leschot. The Jacquet-Droz are known to have introduced complicated horology to Geneva of the kind "which united a clock or watch with music, scenery and art," see Jeanneret, F.A.M. Etrennes Neuchâteloises, 1862.

Their creation of life-like automata " The Writer", "The Musician" and "The Draftsman" brought them fame and wealth, such that allowed Pierre the time to devote to more specialized watches and clocks incorporating singing bird, music and automata.

The firm opened a London branch in 1775. Through this branch they supplied watches in pairs to China. They also supplied the James Cox Museum of Mechanisms with watches. Through their association with Cox they were the first Geneva watch and clock firm to trade with China, thus opening the door for their fellow Genevoises.

Several scent flasks incorporating music and watches are known by Jacquet-Droz and are mentioned in correspondance from Leschot in 1792, see Chapuis and Droz, Automata, p. 199, figs. 242 and 243. For two more scent flasks by this maker, see Timepieces Collected by Qing Emperors in the Palace Museum, 1995. Also see Chapuis, La Montre Chinoise, p. 62 where a further notation is made of scent flasks.

Following the deaths of Pierre and Henri-Louis, in 1790 and 1791 respectively, the firm continued under the leadership of Jean-Frederic Leschot and the firm's name was changed to Jaquet-Droz Leschot.

Though much work is attributed to Jacquet-Droz, relatively little appears with their signature, the presence of their signature on the current flask adds greatly to its importance.