KOLLER VIEW 3/24

02 pre view. 14 For further information Porcelain Sabine Neumaier neumaier@kollerauctions.com Decorative Arts Stephan Koller skoller@kollerauctions.com Online Catalogues www.kollerauctions.com 1 Early Meissen porcelain from a private collection on Lake Geneva. 2 An important Transition period marquise. Paris, circa 1768–1770. Attributed to Nicolas Heurtaut. After designs by Jean-Charles Delafosse. 124 × 78 × 106 cm. Estimate: CHF 50 000/80 000 3 A Directoire enamel skeleton clock with moon phase and date. Paris, circa 1790. Signed Gaston Joly. Estimate: CHF 30 000/50 000 Skel eton clocks are constructed so that their finely craft- ed m echanisms and technical refinements are as visible as p ossible. Some are absent of decorative elements, whil e others, such as the one presented in our 19 Sep- temb er auction, are adorned with elegant enamel work. The se embellishments provide design finesse without und uly distracting from the technical aspects. The fin- est enamel plaques of the late 18 th /early 19 th cen- tury were created by Joseph Coteau and Etienne Gobin, known as Dubuisson, and the motifs and quality of the enamel decoration on this clock from circa 1790 point to them as the creators. Another special feature is the ingeniously shaped spiral pendulum, which transforms the swing into a rota- ry movement and emphasises the distinct techni- cal character of the clock (ill. 3). A private collection of Meissen porcelain from the early 18 th century that had been conserved for decades was recently rediscovered in a house on Lake Geneva. The most interesting pieces in the collection are decorated with early chinoiserie motifs and scenes of overseas merchant shipping (ill. 1). Some pieces are of exceptionally fine quality, rare to the specialised por- celain market, such as a moulded example of a ‘pot-à- oille’, formerly in the collection of Baron Edmond de Rothschild. An extremely rare cylindrical jug made of Böttger stoneware from circa 1710 was commissioned by a cousin of Augustus the Strong. Rococo furniture made in Paris is evidence of a high- ly developed craftsmanship that spread throughout Europe in the interiors of the wealthy aristocratic and bourgeois classes. One example of this in the Septem- ber auction is a marquise, a type of small canapé, from around 1768/70, attributed to Nicolas Heurtaut (ill. 2). Craftsmanship at the highest level Preview of the Decorative Arts auction on 19 September 2024 1 2