Watch
The story of Roman Charity, as recounted in Book IX of De Factis Dictisque Memorabilis by the Roman historian Valerius Maximus, was well known in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. As a representation of filial piety, it was the subject of many paintings, including several by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). The origin of the version used by the Huauds is not known, and the female figure of Pero, who breastfed her incarcerated father, Cimon, in order to save him from starvation, may in fact record a living model. The watchcase was one of the Huaud’s more popular designs, probably as much for its liberal exposure of feminine flesh as for the moral of the story.
Artwork Details
- Title: Watch
- Maker: Watchmaker: Jean Romilly (1714–1794)
- Maker: Case maker: Jean-Pierre Huaud, known as the younger Huaud (Swiss, 1655–1723)
- Maker: Case maker: Ami Huaud (Swiss, 1657–1724)
- Date: first half 18th century
- Culture: French, Paris
- Medium: Painted enamel on gold
- Dimensions: Diameter: 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm)
- Classification: Horology
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
- Object Number: 17.190.1590
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1760
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1700–10
Jean Romilly
ca. 1780
Jean Godde l'aîné
Charles Cressent
ca. 1740–45
Mathieu Coiny fils
Jean-Baptiste Beckers
1759–60
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