Swiss Historical Memorabilia

Fancy Cercle Tournant Timepece: Silver urn-shaped case with stepped base, covered with pink guilloche enamel, seven oval medallions with polychrome enamel painting with bucolic depi...

This is an excellent original example of the Verner's Patent MK VII. It is fully functioning, has a brass case and is mounted with lanyard ring. The glass face and numbered brass out...

EXTRAORDINARY, JUMBO SCALE, JAQUARD-WOVEN, SILK RIBBON, MADE TO MOURN THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, SIGNED & DATED BY THE MAKER, JORDAN TCHAPP, OF BASEL, SWITZERLAND, 1866: Exceptional portrait of Abraham Lincoln. on woven, silk ribbon, made in the fashion of a Stevensgraph, signed & dated by Jordan Tchapp of Besel, Switzerland, 1866. Made for the American market, to mourn the death of America’s beloved, 16th president, Lincoln’s image is set within an oval window, crowned with a federal eagle, holding an olive branch in a gesture of peace. Beneath its wings, to each side, is an array of arrows, with shafts in the likeness of lightning bolts. The bird is perched on a billowing streamer that decorates the crest of a fanciful frame, with text that reads “With Charity to all, with malice for none.” [A slight and likely unintentional paraphrase of words taken from Lincoln’s second inaugural address: “With malice toward none, with charity for all.”] To the left and right of America’s martyred commander-in-chief are 22 stars. If Tchapp designed the work in April of 1865, he may have been referencing the official number of stars on the flag, 35, less the 13 Confederate States. Likely, however, this count is also unintentional. The frame rests in the apex of crossed American flags with star counts of 13 and 15, respectively. These could be copied from an engraving of some sort, as could the remainder of the image. Lady...

A pair of swiss gold and enamel Zarfs, Geneva, circa 1830, made for the Turkish Ottoman market. Of vase form, the bodies pierced with foliate panels, al...

A working military officer's marching or sighting compass of heavy brass from World War One, dated 1918 - an excellent original example of the MK VIII. Featuring a brass case and mou...

Manufacturer: Longines Model: Horn Ball Year: 1930 Serial number: 3739371 Material(s): 18-karat gold Dimensions: 25 x 31mm Glass: Sapphire Lume: No Calib...

'Picasso', 'The Artist of the Century', library or coffee table book, 1972. A stunning book about Picasso with an incredible "orchestration of pictures and accompanying texts", as sh...

Published by Swiss Bank Basle 1972 .

"Im Jahre 1960 besuchte der Photograph und Designer Herbert Matter zum erstenmal Alberto Giacomettis Pariser Atelier, um eine Serie von Photographien über Leben und Umfeld des berü...

The Swiss NEMA cipher machine is an extraordinary piece of both military and mechanical engineering history. Known as the Neue Machine, or “New Machine”...

The Swiss Nema cipher machine is an extraordinary piece of both military and mechanical engineering history. Known as the Neue Machine, or “New Machine”...

A great piece of optometry history. This will be a wonderful conversation piece in any setting!