Fine Watches Including Masterworks of Time, Collector's Watches
Fine Watches Including Masterworks of Time, Collector's Watches
Property from the Masterworks of Time Collection
Joh. Gottl. Ulrich, Hamburg
An oval gold and polychrome enamel painted watch case with later custom-made movement Case circa 1665-1675, movement circa 1760
Lot Closed
September 16, 03:10 PM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Masterworks of Time Collection
Joh. Gottl. Ulrich, Hamburg
An oval gold and polychrome enamel painted watch case with later custom-made movement
Case circa 1665-1675, movement circa 1760
• Movement: later custom made oval gilded, verge escapement, flat steel three-arm balance, decoratively pierced and engraved balance cock, silver regulation plate, fusee and chain, cylindrical pillars, signed Joh. Gottl. Ulrich, Hamburg, no. 400
• Dial:later silver dial plate, Roman numerals, inner and outer minute rings, central engraved blazing sun motif, gilded surround engraved with flowers and foliage
• Case: gold, polychrome enamel painted, the back and vignette panels to the sides depicting scenes from the story of Pyramus & Thisbe, the interior painted with the figures of Pyramus & Thisbe on a turquoise ground heightened with blue and green enamel, later decoratively engraved bezel
length 47mm
Joh. Gottfr. Ulrich from Hamburg is listed by Abeler in Meister der Uhrmacherkunst as born on 15 August 1715. Ulrich died on 29 January 1783. In his listing for Ulrich, Abeler notes a gold and enamel watch in the style of Huaut[d], see op. cit. p.626.
The enamel case of the present watch is most likely German (although possibly Netherlandish) and dates to c. 1665-1675. The movement has been custom made to fit the case and would doubtless have been produced to replace the original movement that had perhaps become damaged, or possiby to provide an upgrade to the watch in terms of its timekeeping.
The story of Pyramus and Thisbe is told in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Forbidden to marry by their parents, the protagonists secretly arrange to meet outside their city walls. Thisbe arriving first finds a lioness drinking from a fountain. Terrified, Thisbe flees and drops her cloak in the process. The lioness, which had arrived fresh from a kill with blood around its mouth, proceeded to tear Thisbe's cloak to shreds. Arriving at the scene, Pyramus discovers Thisbe's shredded and bloodied cloak and, assuming the worst, kills himself. Thisbe returns to find her lover dead and in grief throws herself upon his sword. Pyramus's blood was said to colour Mulberries red for all time. In James Hall's Dictionary of Symbols and Subjects in Art, the author notes that: "the death scene became widely popular in post-Renaissance painting" (op. cit. 1993, p. 257). The vignettes to the sides of the case include depictions of Thisbe fleeing the lioness as well as Thisbe falling on Pyramus's sword upon finding the latter's body.