French gold quarter repeating à quatre couleurs Circa 1770

Charming quarter repeating à quatre couleurs
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A quarter repeating à quatre couleurs gold/enamel verge pocket watch Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy, circa 1770.
A French gold rare pocket watch, quarter repeating à quatre couleurs. Gold case and polychrome enamel, sound holes, rear bell. An enamel dial and a full plate movement, chain/fusee, two hammers, three-arm steel balance. This rare pocket watch is decorated with an extremely fine enamel medallion: Melpomene, the muse of tragedy, is shown in bright colours, with a dramatic theatre mask and a wreath of vine leaves in her hair. Two small boys wrapped in shawls at her left, playing the trumpet.
The four-colour gold rim is extravagantly decorated with engravings of a wicker basket, a shalm and a straw hat that extends into the scene.
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Diameter: 46 mm
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Weight: 99 g
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Signed: Jean Baptiste Baillon  à Paris
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Jean-Baptiste Baillon (de Fontenay) was a very famous – and in the 18th century the richest – watch- and clockmaker in Paris. In 1727 he became a master; he had his factory in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where he had several makers working for him – quite unusual at the time. The factory was run by Jean Jodin (1715-1761); it closed in 1765. Ferdinand Berthoud was very impressed by Baillon’s business, and he admired its size and the excellent quality produced. In 1753 Berthoud wrote about Baillon’s shop: “Nowadays this is the most beautiful and most wealthy watch shop. Diamonds are not only used for pocket watches but even for clocks”. Around 1770 Baillon was appointed watch- and clockmaker to the court of Queen Marie Antoinette, “Premier Valet de Chambre and Valet de Chambre-Horloger Ordinaire de la Dauphine to Marie-Antoinette”. In 1772 Jean-Baptiste-Albert Baillon died a very rich man. His assets were worth around 384.000 livres. Today, some of his works are held by museums in Paris, Toulouse, Brussels, Florence, London, and New York.