Watch 1700 - 1750

This miniature watch by Jean Romilly, a French artist working in the 18th century, depicts a scene of a woman, possibly a noblewoman, breastfeeding an old man. It's a small, intimate work, measuring just 1 3/4 inches in diameter, yet it carries a significant symbolic weight. This type of scene was common in European art of the period and often referred to the allegorical notion of "caritas," or charity, or the nourishment of the soul through spiritual wisdom. The work, currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, showcases Romilly's talent for miniature painting, a popular genre at the time.