Ilbery Gold and Enamel Chinese Market Pocket Watch
Inventory Number: PW1905010
Made by Ilbery circa 1810, 59mm, 18K gold open-face enameled case with scallop edges. The champlevé enamel decoration to the case back depicting children playing hoop. The painted enamel scene was attributed to renowned enamel painter Jean-Louis Richter. Rare solid red gold movement, Only very few Ilberys watches with “solid red gold” movements are known to-date. This is the third movement known duly signed by Ilbery, London. Specially made for the Chinese market.
The inscription in Chinese characters, on the counter-enamel of the dial, mentions “23 Year / June 5th / Wong”, suggesting that on June 5 of the 23rd year of the reign of the emperor, the watch was repaired by a called Wong. The inscription could be written under the reign of three different emperors: Jiaqing, Daoguang or Guangxu.
Functions: hours, minutes, and small seconds.
About the watchmaker
William Ilbery, London, 1780 - 1839, a maker of repute who specialized in fine watches for the Chinese market.
About the Enamel Painter
Richter, Jean-Louis (1766-1841), Learned his art under David-Etienne Roux and Philippe-Samuel-Théodore Roux, becoming a most renowned enamel painter. His specialty was the painting of landscapes and particularly lake-side scenes and marine-scapes, often representing ships in a harbor or battles with fighting Men-of-War, but, on occasion, also portraits and hunting scenes. He did not often sign his work, but it is clearly recognized as being in his hand from the style and quality of the painting. He applied his art principally to watch cases and snuff-boxes and these were largely destined for the Chinese, Turkish, British and Italian markets. In 1828, he was in partnership with Aimé-Julien Troll (1781-1852) and one can find work signed Richter et Troll. Richter, like other great enamel painters of the time, often found inspiration for his work from paintings or engravings by the artists then in fashion particularly Claude Verne, or the romanticized English and Irish rural life.
Glossary of Material Terms
Enamel
A vitreous substance whose main component is silica mixed with oxides (transition metals) that create a vast palette of colors. Enamel is used to decorate metal surfaces, gold, silver, and copper.
Painting on the Enamel
A gold or copper plate is coated with base enamel then fired. The colors are in powder form which the enamel-painter dilutes as and when they are needed using an oily or semi-oily essence, before applying them with a fine brush. Each color is dried then fired before the next is applied. A work can be fired numerous times.
The Chinese market pocket watch is the pocket watch that specially made for the Chinese market in the 18th to 19th centuries by European watchmakers. It was originally used as a tribute to the Qing Dynasty royal family and spread among the public gradually. Many cases were generally made of silver, brass, gilt brass or silver, and decorated with painted enamel with pearls or precious jewels.
