English verge watch with miniature enamel painting Circa 1778

Gold and enamel verge watch in pair cases by William Clark
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An English precious gold and enamel pair-cased verge pocket watch with an important miniature enamel painting attributed to William Hopkins, circa 1778.
Two cases: 22K gold à goutte outer case decorated with an oval polychrome enamel miniature painting of a young lady in an idealized landscape with a dog surrounded by a white enamelled pearl border and translucent cobalt blue enamel on an engine-turned ground, the thumb-piece set with a half pearl, large lateral hinge, the polished inner case also 22K gold, case maker’s mark RP. White enamel dial with radial Roman hours, Arabic five-minute numerals and Louis XVI hands. Signed fire gilt full plate movement with applied florally engraved ornaments, keywind, chain and fusee, square baluster pillars, three-arm steel balance, florally engraved and pierced balance cock.
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Diameter: 48 mm
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Weight: 103 g
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Signed: William Clark York
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William Hopkins was born around 1730 in Tottenham, England. Before starting to work for David Rhodes at Wedgwood and Bentley in 1768, he presumably worked in Paris as an enameller. In 1768/1769 he worked on the famous neoclassical style ‘First Day’s’ vases Wedgwood produced to commemorate the opening of their new factory in Etruria in Staffordshire. In 1770 Hopkins left Wedgwood and devoted himself exclusively to painting on enamel. He was an excellent painter of miniature portraits and also decorated a few watch cases and chatelaines but more often painted large enamel portraits such as that of Sir Joshua Reynolds (1786) in the Ashmolean Museum and that of Sir William Hamilton (1802) in the British Museum. Both works are approximately 17 cm high. Hopkins painted allegories and even combined portraits with allegories, the most famous example being the marvellous pair of portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte dating from 1773, now in the British Museum. George III is shown as ‘George III Lord of the Sea trampling America’ and Queen Charlotte is shown as Demeter (or Ceres). He counted members of the royal family, politicians and scientists among his clientele. From 1774 and 1795 he exhibited no less than 17 enamel paintings at the Royal Academy.