English fine and rare gold repoussé date watch Circa 1738

Gold repoussé verge with date
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An English fine and rare gold pair cased verge repoussé watch with date, circa 1738. Fire gilt full plate verge movement, silver winged masked balance cock with decorative pierced and engraved scrolls and dolphins, diamond endstone, fusee and chain. Gold champlevé dial, Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute track, aperture for the date. Plain gold inner case, the pendant with a stylized floral boss to the top, the gold repoussé outer case signed AH for Augustin Heckeland, with a scene depicting the Commedia dell’ Arte, the inner case with indistinct maker’s mark, dial and movement signed.
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Diameter: 50 mm
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Signed: Rich.Vick London
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The repoussé scene by Augustin Heckel depicts the Commedia dell’ Arte with a Harlequin surprising two lovers whilst Pierrot looks on. Outside the symmetric cartouche, between swags of flowers, are four heads of, presumably, the players with the Harlequin below the pendant. Richard Edgcumbe illustrates this watch in his Art of the Gold Chaser, see figure 40 and suggests that the scene is a conflation of two compositions by J.A. Watteau.
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Augustin Heckel, circa 1690-1770, was born in Augsburg and came to London sometime between 1715 and 1720. He set up a business as a watch case engraver, painter and draughtsman. Heckel was considered one of the finest case makers of the period.
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Jean Antoine Watteau, better known as Antoine Watteau, was born in Valencijn on October 10, 1684, and died in Nogent-sur-Marne on July 18, 1721. He was a French painter of the rococo period. Watteau’s place of birth was conquered by the French in 1678.
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Richard Vick is recorded as apprenticed in 1692, free of the Clockmakers Company in 1702 and became the Company’s Master in 1729. He was also recorded as keeper of the Clocks in the King’s palace.