Gold Songbird Box By Bruguier

Gold singing bird box by Charles Bruguier – Geneva, circa 1840Exceptional and very rare song bird box with fusee movement, signed Charles Bruguier, a master watchmaker from Geneva active in the 19th century, considered one of the greatest makers of musical automatons of his time. The rectangular solid gold box, finely chased, is decorated with symmetrical ivy motifs, foliage and scrolls in refined geometric borders. On the lid, a hand-painted enameled oval medallion depicts a spectacular view of Mont Blanc. Upon activation of the lever, the lid opens to reveal a beautifully taxidermied bird (blue, orange, green, black feathers…) that sings, turns its head, moves its wings and tail while rotating on its axis. The movement is numbered No. 598 and produces a complex melodic sequence thanks to a stack of eight cams (1-1-2-2-3-3-4). The whole thing comes with its original gold key, decorated with fine pearls. The whole thing weighs 404 g, including 197 g for the gold case alone (14-17 carats). In excellent working order (requiring only light maintenance of the bellows), this piece is among the rare gold cases known today. An opportunity not to be missed for lovers of watchmaking art and antique automata.https://youtu.be/HoaftMGIdpY