GENEVA, CIRCA 1810

Geneva was at the crossroads of important trade routes and roads across the Alps, so was visited by many tourists and traders. A place of refuge for Protestants fleeing persecution who brought their skills and trades, watchmakers from France and Germany were able to flourish in a city famous for its goldsmiths and international clientele. Foreign collectors, most notably in China, Turkey and India, were particularly fond of its watches and mechanical objects. The popularity of these enamelled and pearl-set watches served to encourage the production of similarly decorated snuff-boxes and other objects of vertu made in the shape of fruits, animals, flowers, birds, butterflies, snakes and even dragons, often with seed pearl borders or set with diamonds.

Vinaigrettes were widely used in Europe from the late 18th to the late 19th century as the odours of everyday life were omnipresent and challenging, which a lady or a gentleman could avoid by carrying a vinaigrette containing a suitably scented sponge. Although unmarked the present pendant is a testimony to the skills of Swiss craftsmen, combining a small size musical movement with a magnificently decorated functional pendant.