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A fine polychrome enamel 18ct gold pair cased Watch with a portrait of Sultan Abdulmecid I (AH 1233-77/ AD 1839-61) signed Augt. Courvoisier & Co, Chaux de Fonds, No 31391, Switzerland, 19th Century image 1
A fine polychrome enamel 18ct gold pair cased Watch with a portrait of Sultan Abdulmecid I (AH 1233-77/ AD 1839-61) signed Augt. Courvoisier & Co, Chaux de Fonds, No 31391, Switzerland, 19th Century image 2
A fine polychrome enamel 18ct gold pair cased Watch with a portrait of Sultan Abdulmecid I (AH 1233-77/ AD 1839-61) signed Augt. Courvoisier & Co, Chaux de Fonds, No 31391, Switzerland, 19th Century image 3
A fine polychrome enamel 18ct gold pair cased Watch with a portrait of Sultan Abdulmecid I (AH 1233-77/ AD 1839-61) signed Augt. Courvoisier & Co, Chaux de Fonds, No 31391, Switzerland, 19th Century image 4
A fine polychrome enamel 18ct gold pair cased Watch with a portrait of Sultan Abdulmecid I (AH 1233-77/ AD 1839-61) signed Augt. Courvoisier & Co, Chaux de Fonds, No 31391, Switzerland, 19th Century image 5
Lot 252

A fine polychrome enamel 18ct gold pair cased Watch with a portrait of Sultan Abdulmecid I (AH 1233-77/ AD 1839-61)
signed Augt. Courvoisier & Co, Chaux de Fonds, No 31391, Switzerland, 19th Century

Islamic & Indian Art
29 April 2004, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £7,409 inc. premium

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A fine polychrome enamel 18ct gold pair cased Watch with a portrait of Sultan Abdulmecid I (AH 1233-77/ AD 1839-61)
signed Augt. Courvoisier & Co, Chaux de Fonds, No 31391, Switzerland, 19th Century

the frosted gilt movement jewelled to the third with cut and compensated bimetallic balance and pivotted detent, the dial with three colour gold decoration and Turkish numerals enclosing the foliate engraved centre, the rear cover depicting a scene of the Golden Horn within formal borders, the heavy en-suite outer case decorated with a portrait of Sultan Abdulmecid formed so as to provide a viewing choice of either watch dial or enamel scene, signed on the cuvette
57mm. diameter

Footnotes

Provenance:
Given by Sultan Abdulmecid I to Abbas Hilmi I, and by descent.

Sultan Abdulmecid, 31st ruler of the Ottoman empire, was born on 26th April 1823, and succeded to the throne at the age of 16 on the death of his father, Sultan Mahmud II, on 2nd July 1839.

He introduced the "Tanzimat decree", a series of reforms, in the first year of his reign. This stated that "all Ottoman subjects were to enjoy full rights of property and physical integrity; that justice of taxation, the right of possession and finite military service periods were to be guaranteed; there would be no persecution without trial; that bribery was to be obliterated; that all measures for the welfare of the people were to be taken, and that all officials were to take and such to obey these rules".

A second imperial edict in 1846 continued "the reforms in the previous decree are for general improvement. It is important to reform the educational system. Elementary schools must be improved, secondary schools must be re-organised, and a university for all subjects must be founded".

He died at the age of 33 on 26th June 1881.

Abdulmecid, like his father Mahmud II, wore a turban and fur when he ascended the throne, and then replaced this with European clothes and a fez. The image on this watch relates to a small portrait done by the French artist Jean Porter in 1850 that is in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul (Julian Raby et al, The Sultans Portrait, Istanbul, 2000, no. 155).

Bibliography:
Necdet Sakaoglu and Nuri Akbayar, Sultan Abdulmecid, Istanbul, 2000.

Additional information