German - Enameled Watch with Cameos - Walters 58120 - Closed

Although the earliest enamel watches came from Blois, France, the German city of Augsburg had long been a center of clock and watch making. This is one of the earliest examples of a painted-enamel watch made in Germany. It is set with eight cameos and thirteen rubies. The agate cameos are contemporary (not antique gems), but they still advertise the patron's sophisticated taste for the antique style. The inside covers depict landscapes with ancient ruins and pastoral scenes, reflecting another aspect of the classicizing taste of the time.