Pair-case repeating watch

John Champion

ca. 1770–72 · Outer case: glass and gold set with diamonds, pearls, emeralds, and rubies; Inner case: gold; Dial: white enamel with black painted Chinese characters and blued steel hands; Movement: gilded brass and partly blued steel · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The hours and minutes are in Chinese characters on this British watch made for export to China. The painting of the characters suggests the hand of a European craftsman not entirely comfortable with Chinese calligraphy. They correspond to the twice - twelve division of the day customary in the West and do not relate to traditional Chinese methods of dividing the day, which are too complex to fit on a simple watch dial.

Artist

John Champion

Date

ca. 1770–72

Medium

Outer case: glass and gold set with diamonds, pearls, emeralds, and rubies; Inner case: gold; Dial: white enamel with black painted Chinese characters and blued steel hands; Movement: gilded brass and partly blued steel

Culture

British, London, made for Chinese market

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917