Austrian gold and painted enamel full hunter watch Circa 1810

Gold hunting cased key winding verge watch
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A magnificent small Austrian 18 carat gold full hunter pocket watch featuring detailed miniature enamel paintings, made by the Genevan master watchmaker François-Louis Chavannes in Vienna, circa 1810. This watch has a mechanical key winding movement with a verge escapement, a chain fusee, a spiral balance, an advance/retard adjustment disc, and stylized pillars between the two plates. It features an intricately chased and pierced continental balance cock, signed on the fire gilded backplate F. L. Chavanne Wienn. The white enamel dial has black Roman numerals for the hours, an outer railway minute track, and ornate gold hands surrounding a central enamel painting depicting a young couple dressed in classical antique costume.
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The timepiece is housed in a fine, hinged, round, 18 carat solid gold hunting case, masterfully decorated with painted enamels. The outer covers feature polychrome compositions depicting the mythological lovers Venus and Mars, accompanied by Cupid. When the case is opened, the interior panels reveal ruin capriccio paintings. The inside of the case back depicts figures walking among classical architectural columns and an archway. The inner bowl shows a draped classical statue standing beside towering ancient Roman ruins in a lush landscape.
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Diameter: 29 mm
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Weight: 29 g
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Signed: F. L. Chavanne Wienn
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Although the signature on the movement plate refers to Vienna (Wien), this timepiece is fundamentally Swiss. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, premier master watchmakers from Geneva often relocated temporarily to major European capitals such as Vienna, Paris, or London or established secondary workshops there to serve foreign elite markets. François-Louis Chavannes brought his full Swiss horological expertise, distinctive movement architecture with the traditional continental balance cock, and refined, world renowned Genevan miniature enamel painting techniques directly to Vienna.
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François-Louis Chavannes (1762-1823) was a Genevan master watchmaker renowned for his simple and complicated watches, including costume watches and repeater watches in three colour gold decorated with enamel. Although his main activity was in Geneva, some of his designs were exported or influenced by watchmaking styles from other regions, including Vienna as our example. The name François-Louis Chavannes (1762-1823) is mentioned in the Dictionary of Viennese Watchmakers.