Information and makers marks for Jean-Francois Bautte. Jean-François Bautte came from a family of modest workmen. Very soon an orphan, he was placed in an apprenticeship at the age of 12, i.e. in 1784, and was trained in the different trades of being a case fitter, engraver, watchmaker, jeweller, and goldsmith. He signed his first creations in 1791. On August 1, 1793, he joined forces with Jacques-Dauphin Moulinié, under the corporate name Moulinié & Bautte, case fitters. On October 1, 1804, with the arrival of Jean-Gabriel Moynier, the firm became Moulinié, Bautte & Cie, seller of watch making-jewellery making. It was then that Jean-François Bautte developed his own manufacture in Geneva that brought together under the same roof all the bodies of trades of watch making from that time.
On December 20, 1837, the Jean-François Bautte & Cie Company was formed, seller of watch and jewellery making, by his son Jacques Bautte and his son-in-law Jean-Samuel Rossel. The company was then repurchased by Constant Girard-Gallet, owner of the Swiss watch Manufacturer Girard-Perregaux (La Chaux-de-Fonds) in 1906. Some of his creations are on display at the Girard-Perregaux Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Reference: Wikipedia
Jean-Francois Bautte Maker’s Mark
A 19TH CENTURY SWISS GOLD AND ENAMELLED SNUFF BOX by Jean-François Bautte & Cie, Geneva 1826 – 1852,
Rectangular, the cover with a central coloured armorial shield on a black taille d’épargne ground of scrolls, acanthus and architectural volutes, the concave sides and base with similar enamel decoration, length 8cm, weight total 124.5gms.
Sold for £ 8,125 (US$ 10,092) inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2018
A yellow chased gold rectangular snuff-box with rounded corners inscribed ‘J.F. Bautte e Cle à Genéve’. Jean François Bautte, Geneva, first half of the 19th century (g 70) (cm 7×4)
Sold for €2,400 at Il Ponte Casa d’Aste Srl in 2019
