241 - Pieter Hues fecit - Puritan Watch

Pieter Hues fecit - Puritan Watch An important, Puritan style, oval, pre-balance spring pendant watch with one hand Dimensions 42 x 64 mm, circa 1630, Weight 113 g, Origin Deutschland/England Case: Bronze, firegilt, smooth. Dial: Bronze, silver, firegilt, richly engraved with flowers, foliage scrolls and a cherub's head, applied silver chapter ring with Roman numerals, engraved city view of London Bridge and surroundings in the centre, single iron hand. Movm.: Oval full plate movement, gut/fusee, verge escapement, applied click work, plain two-arm iron balance without balance spring. So-called "Puritan watches" were manufactured in London in the mid-17th century as "plain" watches without any decorative embellishments. The Puritan movement was at its most powerful during the 17th century. In 1640 Oliver Cromwell became a member of the Long Parliament and a leader of the opposition against King Charles I and the absolute monarchy. The dispute developed into the English Civil War, where Cromwell commanded the parliamentary troops and led them against the royal army. Eventually the Puritan army triumphed but not without frequently ransacking the country and the churches. King Charles I was tried on a charge of treason and executed; Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector, effectively overseeing a military dictatorship. However, the intolerance of the Puritans was extremely unpopular among the people and after Cromwell’s death in 1658 the monarchy was reinstated - King Charles II came into power. Provenance: Auktionshaus Kegelmann, Frankfurt, auction of timepieces XIV on November 12, 1977, lot no. 303. In private hands from that time on. According to Jürgen Abeler’s records, watchmaker Pieter Hues of Augsburg created a pocket watch in 1680, which now resides in the Württemberg national museum in Stuttgart. Baillie’s "Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World" lists Pieter Hues (or Pierry Hue) as living in Augsburg in 1600. In 1632 he was a member of the Clockmakers' Company in London; in 1652 he is again recorded as a member of the company. Case: very good, worn, rubbed. Dial: very good. Movm.: very good, capable of running, cleaning recommended.