Watchcase (Boîtier de montre)
Unknown Artist
c. 1640
Medium
gold and enamel
Dimensions
diam. 5.8 cm
Classification
Jewelry
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1916.348
About this artwork
In the 1630s, the practice of painting with enamel on metal became a means for French miniature painters to achieve a more richly colored, durable product. Previously miniatures were painted with watercolor on vellum, a material made from animal skin. This case would have originally held a watch, but was later transformed into a simple box through the removal of the watch mechanism and ring. This watch case is richly painted inside and out with miniatures modeled after well-known religiously all...