French multi coloured gold watch with chatelaine Circa 1780

Multi coloured gold watch with portrait
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A French 18 carat multi coloured gold and painted enamel open faced watch set with decorative stones, accompanied by a chatelaine also crafted in multi coloured gold and painted enamel, housed in a shagreen box, circa 1780. The watch features a gilded brass movement with key winding and verge escapement, an engraved and pierced balance cock, fusee and chain, and an adjustment disc. The movement is unsigned. White enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours, Arabic numerals for the five minute intervals, decorative, stylised hands, winding square opening, railway minute track, unsigned.
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Round hinged case with the back decorated by a portrait of a lady painted on polychrome enamel, surrounded by multi coloured gold foliage and a blue enamel band. The back also features motifs of ribbons and foliage in multi coloured gold and a stylised bezel. The gold chatelaine consists of several stylised cartouches decorated with enamelled pastilles showing portraits of elegant women of the French aristocracy under the Ancien Régime, representing several generations. The upper link has a cartouche painted on enamel within a medallion on a blue enamel background, with applied multicoloured gold foliage. Four chains hang from it, two decorated with white enamel, each ending with a seal and a key.
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Diameter: 37 mm
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Chatelaine: 19 cm
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Weight: 111.6 g
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Signed: No name
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The watch chatelaine, regarded as an accessory of fashion and elegance, was frequently adorned with medallions painted with portraits. Popular during the 18th and 19th centuries, these medallions conveyed complex and layered symbolism.
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The portraits painted on the medallions often depicted loved ones of aristocratic families. They enabled the wearer to symbolically maintain the presence of cherished individuals.
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Influence of Travel and Prolonged Absences
In an era when travel and prolonged absences were common, the medallion offered emotional connection. In this case, the chatelaine probably represents several generations of women from a single aristocratic family.
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Owning a chatelaine with a painted medallion signified considerable wealth and social status.
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The portraits were executed by skilled miniature artists, a costly service reserved for the elite. The medallion, often embellished with gold, silver, precious stones or pearls, reinforced this display of social status.
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Portraits of the Aristocracy and Royalty
Sometimes, portraits depicted royal or admired figures, symbolizing loyalty to a family or the monarchy. They also showed portraits of royal figures or members of the King’s court. This let the wearer discreetly display their political or cultural allegiances.
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The watch and its medallion also served as reminders of the passage of time. A medallion painted with a portrait functioned as a tribute to a specific individual and highlighted the brevity and transience of life, a concept prevalent in the art of the period.
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In summary, the medallions of the watch chatelaine symbolized personal sentiment and social identity. They combined art, memory, status, and introspection, rendering the watch and its chatelaine far more than merely functional objects.