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Vienna, first quarter of the 19th century
- signed
- “Fertbauer in Wien” (signed on the plate)
- Clockmaker
- Philipp Fertbauer, Vienna,
- *1763, 1795 master, 1805 appraiser, †1820
- Case
- lyre-shaped case, made of 14-karat gold, front: green and blue (bleu royal) enamel, pearl-set décor, round dial cover with goldengraved sheaf of wheat, back: green and blue enamel, gold-engraved scrolling foliage, pearl-set décor, glazed and pearlframed “sound hole” revealing the balance wheel
- Dial
- enamel
- Movement
- verge escapement with fusee, fine adjustment, open-work balance cock
- Measurements
- 1.97×1.18 in
cf.: F. Kaltenböck: Viennese Timepieces, Munich 1988, p. 54, fig. 22.
So-called “form watches” are a particularly precious and imaginative expression of European clockmaking and goldsmithing in the 18th and 19th centuries. They belong to the long tradition of Renaissance pendant watches and, as exquisite, jeweled timepieces, were reserved for royal courts and the aristocracy. With cases made of precious materials, finely executed decoration, and tiny movements, these little watches were works of art in miniature. Most were made to order and could take a wide variety of forms.
Only a few of these fragile treasures have survived the centuries. We are therefore especially pleased to present this outstanding example of an early 19th-century Viennese form watch – particularly as it bears the signature of the celebrated master clockmaker Philipp Fertbauer. The lyre-shaped 14-karat gold case is decorated with green and blue enamel and set with numerous pearls. Beneath a domed cover adorned with a gold-engraved sheaf of grain lies the enamel dial. The lyre’s pearl-bordered sound hole offers a view of the balance wheel of the delicate movement.
Philipp Fertbauer is regarded as the finest clockmaker of the Austrian monarchy around 1800. He became a master in 1795, senior overseer of the Viennese clockmakers in 1804, and an official appraiser in 1805. His precision-made wall clocks were indispensable measuring instruments for the observatories of the Habsburg Empire, including those in Vienna, Kremsmünster, and Budapest. This exquisite form watch, with its delicate miniature movement, is a testament to Fertbauer’s exceptional craftsmanship and uncompromising standards of quality.