A gold chatelaine and pair-cased quarter repeating watch, 'Hymenaeus', Jean & Michel Vieusseux, Geneva, circa 1765. A very fine 20K gold chatelaine and pair-cased quarter repeating watch, repeating dumb and on a bell. Two-body, 'Louis XV' case. The outer with the main scene on the back depicting a young couple before an altar with Hymenaeus, who has his attributes of a torch and a flower wreath, surrounded by cherubs on either side, within a symmetrical gold frame, the front and back bezels fitted with rural scenes in cartouches, the push- and nib-pieces set with diamonds. The Inner two-body, pierced and engraved with inhabited foliage. The gold chatelaine with four painted on enamel panels, the larger top a scene of Venus and Adonis after Simon Vouet, the next three painted with putti in the manner of François Boucher (1703-1770), the first putto holding a torch, one of the attributes of Hymanaeus, which symbolises the fire of love, gilded dust cap. The white enamel dial with radial Roman chapters, outer minute divisions with five-minute Arabic markers. Silver diamond-set 'Louis XV' hands. Movement 36 mm diam, hinged, gilt brass full plate, turned cylindrical pillars, fusee and chain for the going train, verge escapement, plain three-arm brass balance, blued-steel balance spring, single-footed pierced and engraved cock, repeating on a bell by depressing the pendant, slide for dumb repeating at 4 o'clock. Signed on the movement and on the dust cap. • Given the ceremonial wedding scene of a young couple before an altar with Hymenaeus, the watch seems to have been intended as a wedding gift. • Diameter: 47 mm; length: 190 mm. • Literature: T. Camerer Cuss, The Sandberg Watch Collection, Geneva, 1998, N° 89, p. 146. • Vieusseux Michel (1723 - 1801), master watchmaker, associated with his brother Jean from 1759 to 1769. The brothers took other associates and from 1770 to 1782, the firm became Vieusseux Jean et Michel Lot Cie. During this period, they produced double-cases watches with classical type movements, decorated with gold enamel and precious stones. • In Greek mythology, Hymen or 'Hymenaeus' was a god of marriage ceremonies, inspiring feasts and song. Related to the god's name, a hymenaios is a genre of Greek lyric poetry sung during the procession of the bride to the groom's house in which the god is addressed, in contrast to the Epithalamium, which was sung at the nuptial threshold. Hymen was supposed to attend every wedding. If he didn't, then the marriage would supposedly prove disastrous, so the Greeks would run about calling his name aloud. He presided over many of the weddings in Greek mythology, for all the deities and their children.

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