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Singing Bird Watch, by Jean Hillaire Bassereau

Image attached to M.7 & A-C-1948

An image of Singing Bird Watch. Bassereau, Jean Hillaire, watchmaker (French, d. 1806, Paris, Colmar). Gold case enamelled in dark and pale blue, the top having a circular hinged panel decorated in painted enamel with a bird perched on a tree in a landscape. The watch has a singing bird automaton which springs up when the hinged panel is open. The watch face is visible through a circular aperture in the back of the case. The maker of the movement was Hillaire Bassereau, and is inscribed 'Hilre Bassereau n. 532, Int Et Fect.'. Marks on the case: (1) Maker's mark JS or IS with a pellet above and below within a lozenge. (2) Assay mark for a second standard gold 1798-1809. (3) Exercise mark for medium-sized gold and silver 1798-1809. (4) An illegible mark with a 2 on the right side. (5) Impressed mark: 150. (6) Dealer's scratch mark: 55041. Gold dial, steel hands, blued, gold and enamel case, height 7.3 cm, width 6.2 cm, depth 1.9 cm, circa 1798-1809. The case bears the Paris assay and excise marks for 1798-1809. The movement is a little earlier than the case, probably about 1790.

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Singing Bird Watch. Bassereau, Jean Hillaire, watchmaker (French, d. 1806, Paris, Colmar). Gold case enamelled in dark and pale blue, the top having a circular hinged panel decorated in painted enamel with a bird perched on a tree in a landscape. The watch has a singing bird automaton which springs up when the hinged panel is open. The watch face is visible through a circular aperture in the back of the case. The maker of the movement was Hillaire Bassereau, and is inscribed 'Hilre Bassereau n. 532, Int Et Fect.'. Marks on the case: (1) Maker's mark JS or IS with a pellet above and below within a lozenge. (2) Assay mark for a second standard gold 1798-1809. (3) Exercise mark for medium-sized gold and silver 1798-1809. (4) An illegible mark with a 2 on the right side. (5) Impressed mark: 150. (6) Dealer's scratch mark: 55041. Gold dial, steel hands, blued, gold and enamel case, height 7.3 cm, width 6.2 cm, depth 1.9 cm, circa 1798-1809. The case bears the Paris assay and excise marks for 1798-1809. The movement is a little earlier than the case, probably about 1790.

Image data

  • Accession Number: M.7 & A-C-1948
  • Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
  • Aperture: f/27.0
  • Focal length: 120
  • Camera: Hasselblad H3DII-31
  • Photographer name: Michael Jones
  • Image height: 1025 pixels
  • Image width: 826 pixels
  • Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4 (Windows)
  • Filesize: 741.53kB
  • Exposure time: 1/180
  • ISO Speed: 200
  • Fnumber: 27/1

Key words

18th Century 19th Century automated automaton Bassereau birds blue enamel enamelled Fitz_AA French gold Jean Hillaire Bassereau mechanical pocket watch singing singing bird timepiece watch

Colours in this image

rgb(191,150,82), rgb(60,54,50), rgb(144,106,57), rgb(245,245,244), rgb(160,159,155), rgb(30,108,169), rgb(222,197,149), rgb(185,169,153), rgb(197,193,188), rgb(76,156,207), rgb(212,202,194)

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The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Singing Bird Watch, by Jean Hillaire Bassereau" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-206754 Accessed: 2024-03-29 04:52:47

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-206754 |title=Singing Bird Watch, by Jean Hillaire Bassereau |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-29 04:52:47|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa37/m_7_20_26_20A_C_1948_1_201507_mfj22_dc2.jpg"
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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Singing Bird Watch, by Jean Hillaire Bassereau</figcaption>
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