242 - Andreas Stahel - Augusta

Andreas Stahel - Augusta An exceptionally large, single-handed Augsburg pocket watch with hour strike, housed in a lavishly faceted octagonal rock crystal case Dimensions 75 x 44 x 34 mm, circa 1615, Weight 133 g, Origin: Germany Case: Rock crystal mounted in a gilt brass frame, openworked on the front. Dial: Silver dial with engraved Arabic hour markers, single blued hand. Movement: Oval full-plate movement, engraved barrel, verge escapement, locking plate with internal teeth, 1 hammer / 1 rear bell, three-arm iron balance, florally engraved pierced balance cock. This unusual octagonal watch case from the early 17th century features faceted rock crystal covers set within a richly engraved brass frame, the front of which is openworked and decorated with scrolling foliage. Thanks to the transparent material, the simple silver dial is fully visible, as is the oval movement with its count wheel and an openwork balance cock adorned with floral motifs. Instead of a gut cord or fusee, the watch uses a barrel decorated with floral scrolls. The bell is positioned beneath the dial. In his 1966 study on the history of Augsburg, *Alt-Augsburger Kompaßmacher*, Maximilian Bobinger wrote: “The works of Andreas Stahel known to date reveal him to be a skilled, imaginative, and tasteful clockmaker. He lovingly translated the tradition of Augsburg craftsmanship—which evolved through the making of sundials and wheel-driven clocks during the second half of the 16th century—into his own creations.” Andreas Stahel (also known as Stahl or Stachel), the son of the Augsburg clockmaker Bernhard Stahel (c. 1535–1589), was himself an Augsburg clockmaker. He was born around 1560 and died in 1634/35. On January 11, 1589, he married Judith, the daughter of the clockmaker David Haisermann. He became an independent master on July 2, 1589. He specialized in striking crystal watches, several of which he made for Duke August of Brunswick. Examples of Stahel’s clocks can be found in several museums, including a table clock at the Württemberg Landesmuseum in Stuttgart, a clock featuring a figure of Cupid at the Karlsruhe Landesmuseum, a miniature table clock at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, a similar clock at the Paul Dupuy Museum in Toulouse, and a monstrance clock at the Museumlandschaft Hessen in Kassel. Andreas Stahel marked his watches with the initials “AS” within a shield. Case: very good, restored, some parts replaced. Dial: later. Movement: good, restored, missing parts, needs restoration, capable of running.