Jean Mussard Enamel Pocket Watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1710
This pocket watch features an 18K gold and enamel case with enamel work attributed to Jean Mussard of Geneva, circa 1710. The movement is signed by George Richards of London, numbered 16011.
The case is a two-body "bassine" design, with the back featuring an enamel painting of Danaé visited by Jupiter in the form of a shower of golden rain. The band displays an enamel landscape scene including a traveler and donkey. The dial is white enamel with a Roman hour chapter and outer minute divisions. The movement is a 35 mm full plate construction with square baluster pillars, fusee and chain, verge escapement, and a steel three-arm balance with a flat spring.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Case
- Two-body bassine
- Type
- Enamel pocket watch
- Maker
- Jean Mussard, Geneva; movement by George Richards, London
- Material
- 18K gold and enamel
- Escapement
- Verge
- Provenance
- Lord Sandberg Collection
- Serial Number
- 16011
- Place recorded
- Switzerland
- Maker / attribution
- Jean Mussard / George Richards
- Movement dimensions
- 35 mm (15 1/2''')
Design
- Visible features
- • Enamel scene of a mill and water wheel on the case band • Gold Louis XV hands on the white enamel dial • Engraved asymmetrical scrolls on the on-footed balance cock • Two-body bassine case profile
- Signatures and Provenance
- The movement is signed, and the enamel work on the case is attributed to Jean Mussard, who was based in Geneva. The watch carries an auction-reported provenance, having previously been part of the Lord Sandberg Collection. It was sold in a Geneva auction on March 31, 2001, as lot 10. The current documentation ties the watch to this historical record, providing a trajectory for the object's movement through horological collections since the early twenty-first century.
- Case and Dial Construction
- The watch is housed in an 18K gold, two-body 'bassine' case. The reverse of the case is decorated with an enamel painting depicting the mythological scene of Danaé visited by Jupiter, who is represented as a shower of golden rain. The band of the case is decorated with a continuous rural landscape featuring a traveler and a donkey, set against a river background. The dial is composed of white enamel and displays a Roman hour chapter with outer minute divisions marked by five-minute Arabic numerals. The watch is equipped with gold 'Louis XV' hands, matching the material of the case. The enamel artwork on the exterior of the watch serves as the primary visual decoration. The landscape scenes are executed in a continuous format around the circumference of the case band. The dial is simple in construction, following early eighteenth-century layouts, focusing on legibility with its white enamel background and high-contrast numerals. The integration of the enamelwork with the gold case indicates a collaboration between a case-maker and an enamel artist.
- Movement and Technical Specifications
- The movement measures 35 mm, corresponding to 15 1/2 lignes. It is a full plate movement featuring square baluster pillars, which support the train. Power is supplied by a fusee and chain mechanism. The escapement is of the verge type, controlling a steel three-arm balance with a flat spring. The regulation of the watch is handled by a rack and pinion regulator, which operates against a silver plate calibrated from 1 to 6 in Arabic numerals. The technical components, such as the rack and pinion regulator and the verge escapement, are characteristic features of the watch's construction. The combination of the Geneva-attributed case and the London-attributed movement suggests the interaction of different European horological centers.
Identification
- Serial number
- 16011
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: The source attributes the enamel painting to Jean Mussard without providing additional biographical proof.
- Research required: The precise relationship between the London-made movement and the Geneva-made case remains unconfirmed in the provided text.