Re: For Arthur and Lorenzo and all who are interested in French jewels Archived Message
Posted by Arthur on November 18, 2014, 5:13 am, in reply to "Re: For Arthur and Lorenzo and all who are interested in French jewels"
I agree that these "lesser" jewels (I hope the word "lesser" is appropriate, in the meaning of more discreet and often less-bejewelled than the grand regal parures worn on State occasions) have a touching charm, because they probably express more directly the personal tastes of the owner, as well as the affective bonds between the giver and the receiver of the jewel. I am not a specialist about watches, and I have no information about the details of the mechanism of these watches and of their complexity. The Louvre's notice about the Dey of Algiers' watch mentions that the "movement" (i.e. the mechanism) was made by Daniel de Saint-Leu, "watchmaker of the Queen of England" (which is quite surprising for a brooch reported to have been made in 1828, as King George IV's estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick, had died in 1821, while Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen became Queen only in 1830, at her husband William IV's accession). On the picture on which the watch is open, you can see "De Saint-Leu, London" written on the dial.
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