The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 20, 2025
Watchcase (Boîtier de montre)
c. 1640
Diameter: 5.8 cm (2 5/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.348
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
Inspiration for the box’s miniatures was drawn from works by Peter Paul Rubens’ The Holy Family with Saints John the Baptist and Elizabeth (1615) (back panel) and Nicolas Cochin (interior base).Description
In the 1630s, the practice of painting with enamel on metal became a means for French miniature painters to achieve a more richly colored, durable product. Previously miniatures were painted with watercolor on vellum, a material made from animal skin. This case would have originally held a watch, but was later transformed into a simple box through the removal of the watch mechanism and ring. This watch case is richly painted inside and out with miniatures modeled after well-known religiously allegorical works.- Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade, Cleveland.
- Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916).
- {{cite web|title=Watchcase (Boîtier de montre)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1640|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.348