Audemars Piguet - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XI Hong Kong Saturday, November 28, 2020 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Audemars Piguet
    Year: 1988
    Reference No: 35728BA
    Movement No: 263’950
    Case No: B65986
    Model Name: "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe"
    Material: 18K yellow gold and enamel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 5020, 20 jewels
    Dimensions: 47mm diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed, enamel signed by Barna

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present lot is part of a very limited number of watches with enamels by the maker Ni. Gi. Barna, who was commissioned by Audemars Piguet in the early 1980's to produce the series. Scenes including a variety of themes from Bedouin horsemen, fox hunts, marinescapes, and representations taken from 19th century painters including Édouard Manet’s, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe.

    “Luncheon on the Grass”, was produced between 1862 and 1863 as a large oil canvas with an idyllic landscape usually reserved for historical or religious themes, however it breaks with academic tradition both for the rough unfinished brush strokes giving the work an unfinished feel, and the nude woman casually placed at the front of the scene while two young dandies engage in conversion, and appear to be unaware of her presence, along with a bathing maiden in the background. Inspired by the classics and revealing his interest in the Old Masters, Manet shocked critics with the lack of interaction between the subjects in the painting, which caused people to not understand what was happening with the foursome. Some critics saw it as a display of rampant prostitution, while others like Émile Zola championed the work of art as placing figures in the natural grandeur of the landscape.

    Exquisite enamel work is an art form unto itself and today enamel timepieces are highly sought after not only for their mechanical precision, but the craftsmanship of the design. Ni. Gi. Barna’s work as complex and skilled as painters of the 19th century, and the present watch is a lovely representation of this workmanship.

  • Artist Biography

    Audemars Piguet

    Swiss • 1881

    A specialist in the manufacture of complications since it was established in 1881, Audemars Piguet never ceases to impress with a rich history of creating bold, even audacious, timepieces underpinned by traditional watchmaking at its finest. This Le Brassus-based Swiss manufacturer is one of only two major manufacturers still owned by the founding family. Since its earliest days, AP is considered a leader in the field of minute repeaters and grande complication pocket and wristwatches. The brand is devoted to preserving the history of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux, showcased at their superb museum in Le Brassus.

    Today, the brand is best known for its Royal Oak models, a revolutionary luxury sports watch launched in 1972. Other key models include early minute repeating wristwatches, vintage chronograph wristwatches, such as the oversized reference 5020, perpetual calendar watches and the Royal Oak Offshore, first introduced in 1993.

    View More Works

970

Ref. 35728BA
A rare and very fine yellow gold open face pocket watch with enamel miniature painted by Ni. Gi. Barna, after a painting by Édouard Manet "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe"

1988
47mm diameter
Case, dial and movement signed, enamel signed by Barna

Estimate
HK$240,000 - 480,000 
€25,900-51,700
$30,800-61,500

Sold for HK$478,800

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi

Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001

WatchesHK@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XI

Hong Kong Auction 29 November 2020