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Find your local specialistA very fine and extremely rare 22ct gold early 17th century enamel watch case converted into a snuffbox in the mid 18th century
gold case with pierced red, blue and green enamel set floral band enclosing a white ground with cloisonné enamel scene of 'The Story of Esther' surrounded by floral swags, the removable inner gold case with enamel set lid panel with similar enanel decoration with fine gold hinge and thumb plate, together with a 17th century skin covered case 45cms dia, 30cms high.
Footnotes
During the late 17th century many watch movements became obsolete with the advance of timekeeping, and the examples housed in elaborate and valuable cases were often converted in the mid 18th century with newer movements or into snuffboxes, examples of this are shown in Lots 12 and 17.
Enamel watches of the first half of the 17th century are extremely rare and very few examples like this watch exist. The British Museum has an example by Louis Vautyer,(died 1638) which is almost identical to this example in the way the case has been made and also the exact matching of the various enamel colours that have been used. The white enamel ground in the British Museum example was mounted on a separate piece of gold and acts as a background, where as this example features a one-piece case with a figurative scene.
The Story of Esther
Esther was a Jewish girl who had been taken captive. After her parents died, she was adopted as family member by Mordecai, who raised her as his own daughter.
King Xerxes was looking for a new queen and many young women were considered but Esther was chosen to be the new queen.Haman was the most powerful man in the kingdom besides the king and was an evil man who hated the Jewish people and plotted to have them killed.
Mordecai persuaded Esther to go to the king and plead for the lives of the Jewish people. She could be killed for going before him when she hadn't been called. But she was brave and went to see the king. She invited him and the evil man, Haman, to a banquet. During the meal, she revealed the plot against the Jews and accused Haman. Haman was later hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, and the Jews were allowed to defend themselves. Since that time Jews have remembered Esther and celebrated the Feast of Purim.