Gold and Enamel Cased Verge Watch

Description — British Museum

Gold and Enamel Cased Verge Watch. Case: Gold and enamel case with a hinged bezel split and glazed. The bezel engraved with a gadroon design. The body of the gold cased is decorated all over, inside and out with painted enamel scenes. On the back is a depiction of Venus and Adonis in the forest with a hound and two amorati. Around the band, a series of four vignettes alternate with black and white enamelled foliate straps, the vignettes each containing a landscape. Gold pendant, the loose ring now missing. : Dial and Hand: Pinned directly to the pillar-plate within an engraved gadroon border, is a gold dial with painted enamel decoration. Around the outside the white enamel chapter-ring has Roman hours I-XII and straight-line half-hour marks surrounding a quarter-circle. In the centre the painted enamel scene shows a seated Diana with a hound. The gilt-brass hand is a replacement. Movement frame: Circular gilt-brass plates with four rectangular pillars overlaid with pierced silver panels depicting winged cherubs. Riveted potence and riveted counter-potence. Engraved decoration around the verge aperture. Riveted to the potence-plate is an applied silver cartouche with a winged cherubs head at the top and a winged cherub at each side. The central oval is open to reveal the engraved signature on the potence-plate below. Mainspring & set-up: Gilt-brass barrel with snap-in cap and riveted steel hook. Tangent-screw set-up with two pierced steel brackets for the worm gear. Silver index disc engraved 1-6. Fusee & stop-work: Gilt-brass fusee with chain and English stop-work, the stop-work spring and block covered by an elaborately pierced blued-steel screen. Train: Four wheel train of gilt-brass wheels, the second, third and contrate with three crossings. Escapement and balance: Verge escapement with plain steel 2-arm balance. Screwed-on balance cock with silver half-baluster foot and blued-steel table pierced and engraved with foliate scrolls.