Decorative silver and enamel pomander in watch form Circa 1650

Silver and enamel pomander box    
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A silver and enamel open faced pomander pocket watch, circa 1650. The movement with a verge escapement.
White enamel dial with Roman hour numerals, half hour markers and a single gold hand, a camaïeu scene depicting a landscape in the center.
The case back is overlaid with translucent green enamel and decorated with applied silver flowers and foliage.
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Diameter: 24 mm
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Weight: 11 g
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Pandemics have been around forever, what’s changed is how we defend ourselves against them. For centuries, inhaling the aroma of specific spices and herbs was thought to cure or prevent serious illness and mask the smell of sickness, lice and the general lack of hygiene. Ambergris, a rare and expensive, predominantly grey-coloured, hard waxy product from the intestinal tract of sperm whales, was considered to give protection against infectious illness, especially the plague. Also, civets, musk, dried flowers, spices and scented oils were put into a ball or carried separately in compartmented jewels called pomanders.

The present pocket watch is such a pomander with four compartments in beautiful blue enamel. A truly unique mid-17th-century piece.
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Camaïeu is a technique that employs two or three tints of a single colour, other than grey, to create a monochromatic image without regard to local or realistic colour.
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Reference 012000