Anonymous

CARDINAL'S WATCH - Lot 65

CARDINAL'S WATCH Bishop or cardinal. Circa 1900. Case: round in 750/1000 yellow gold, double bowl in 750/1000 yellow gold, fluted winding mechanism, clipped back with special coat of arms. Dial: white enamel, baton hour-markers and painted Arabic numerals, seconds at 6 o'clock. Hands: pear-shaped. Glass: organic. Movement: hand-wound mechanical. Diameter: 50 mm. Gross weight: 75.85 g. History / Provenance : Watch probably belonging to a bishop or cardinal, as indicated by the coat of arms and tasselled galero, dating from the early XXᵉ century. Engraved mottos underline the spiritual and religious importance of the object. At the top, a galero with tassels indicates the ownership of an ecclesiastical dignitary. At the base, the motto VT ANIMA PATRIS can be translated as "for the soul of the homeland" and, at the top of the coat of arms, we find the inscription DRE NERZ AR SPERED GLAN, which can be translated as "By the strength of the Holy Spirit"."