Pair-case watch with repeating mechanism

Charles Cabrier II

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The quarter-repeating movement of this watch is the work of Charles Carbrier II of the distinguished family of London watchmakers. Repoussé gold outer cases for watches were in demand in the mid-eighteenth century, but only a few, like the present example, were signed. The embossed scene illustrates the story of the Greek sun god Apollo, adapted from an etching by Sébastien Leclerc. Ownership of this watch would have demonstrated affluence and familiarity with Greek mythology.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art