10047M-001

The flower of the dead This limited edition of three pieces in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel presents the renowned Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, an unmissable festival in Mexican culture accompanied by the music of mariachi and the brilliant orange tints of the cempasúchil (marigolds). The enameller brought all his skills into play to evoke the unique atmosphere of this exuberant celebration. To create the complex contours of each mariachi in his traditional costume, and of the marigolds – the bright orange daisies that are an essential feature of the Dia de los Muertos – he laid down about 46.82 m of gold wire (~23.77 g). He then rendered all the vivacity of the Day of the Dead by introducing a palette of 25 transparent, opaque and semi-transparent enamel colors and 2 further colors of miniature painting on enamel. Silver leaf embedded beneath translucent enamel, according to the technique of paillonné enameling, intensifies the luminosity of the decoration and truly brings the scene to life. Each enameled plate required some 14 firings at a temperature of 770°C. The hour circle, adorned with a rhodium-plated sunburst, presents applied Arabic numerals lacquered in 6 different colors, framing gilded leaf-shaped hands. This piece is powered by the caliber 17’’’ PEND mechanical movement rewound by an electric motor.