Hermann Ratzersdorfer watch

Hermann Ratzersdorfer watch. Austria, c.1890.
Silver, enamel and rock crystal.
With marks.
Measurements: 15 x 8.5 x 5 cm.

The Ratzersdorfer firm was founded in 1845 and continued until the end of the 19th century. He was an important designer and won numerous medals at various World Fairs (London 1852, Paris 1855, Vienna 1873). His creations are particularly inspired by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These objects, combining rock crystal, silver or vermeil mounts and colored enamel, were intended to imitate objects found in the cabinets of curiosities of the Renaissance (such as that of Rudolf II in Prague), which demonstrated the wealth and good taste of their owners.