Silver chatelaine bottle engraved with woodland bird scenes, signed by the Swiss Huguenin brothers

Silver chatelaine bottle engraved with two different woodland bird scenes. It features a screw cap and a hanging chain. Produced by the Swiss Huguenin brothers, it is signed on both sides “Huguenin dep” in 875 silver letters and has a neck stamp for the years 1888–1890. In 1868, the young engraver Fritz Huguenin and his brother Guillocheur Albert set up a small watch-case design workshop. It wasn’t long before they realised the value that embossing could add to their work. They therefore bought a spindle press and embossed their first medal in 1888. Over time, the Huguenin brothers specialised in the Niel method, which is used to give silver watches a black finish. This method made them famous worldwide and as a result of their new-found success, they switched from manual production to industrial production in 1899, building the factory that is still used today.