Watch and case
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1765-70
This watch and pair case were made in Geneva between 1765 and 1770, with a movement produced by the watchmaker Jean Fazy. Crafted from gold and silver, the vari-coloured gold case features enamelled decoration and diamond settings. Both the dial and movement are signed 'Jean Fazy'.
The painted enamel scene on the case depicts the family of Coriolanus pleading with him to spare Rome. Derived from an engraving by H. S. Thomassin published in 1723 after Charles de la Fosse's painting of Veturia and Volumnia before Coriolanus, the composition is simplified to include Coriolanus, his wife, and one child. The scene is presented within a neo-classical circular border flanked by laurel wreaths and symmetrical foliage sprays on the bezel and back. The watch hands feature asymmetrical rococo-style curves, while the movement's bridgecock displays asymmetrical scrolls.
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.
Historical context
Geneva gained renown for enamelled watches beginning in the late seventeenth century, and Jean Fazy was celebrated for pair-cased watches decorated with enamel and gemstones. The pair-case format reflects contemporary London watchmaking influences. The watch was bequeathed in 1890 by Harriet Bolckow, widow of Middlesbrough ironmaster Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow.
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Maker's signature; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: signed 'Jean Fazy'; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- Jean Fazy
- Place recorded
- Geneva
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Watch and case
- Museum object number
- 742&A-1890
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.