Description: Automaton singing bird cage - a true wonder of old world craftsmanship and ingenuity. Features a hand feathered automaton singing bird centered on a perch. Brass cage and on gilt-gesso (gold leaf). Inside cage is lined in a soft golden velvet. Can be set on a tabletop or hung up via a gold wall bracket. Marked on bottom, "Made in France 5865061". Number 132 stamped on base. When wound, the start and stop lever from the underside commences the birds into song. The beak and head move and the tail feathers flutter. The mechanical movement is made from brass. The "T perch" has ivy leaf decoration.

History: Around 1780 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, Jacquet- Droz manufacturers of complex clocks invented the mechanical singing bird movement. This movement imitated the motions of birds and reproduced it's "birdsong" very authentically. It contained leather bellows and piston whistle assemblies. About 60 years later the bird movement was perfected by the Blaise Bontems workshop in Paris, France. Blaise Bontems (1814 - 1893) was a noted Parisian specialist in the manufacture of automaton singing birds and the first of a dynasty of automaton manufacturers, which included his son Charles Jules and his grandson Lucien. Bontems' birds were famous for the realism of their song. In 1960 Reuge took over Bontems as well as Eschle's production in Germany. The acquisition insured that the 200 year old tradition would be safeguarded. To this day Reuge continues the manufacture of singing birds, in the traditional manner. Birds are painstakingly feathered by hand and meticulously assembled, piece by piece.

Provenance: N/A

Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 3 | Height(in) = 11.5 | Width(in) = 6.25 | Depth(in) = 6.25

Size of Artwork(in): 11.5 x 6.25 x 6.25"

Artist Name: France

Medium: Brass, velvet, feathers.

Circa: Circa 1900

This piece is in good working condition.