167,200 CHF
Singing Bird Jaquet Droz, Genève. Made circa 1780. Very fine and very rare, gilt bronze and painted on enamel, eight-day going, center seconds, hanging bird cage clock with automaton bird, singing seven tunes on the hour and half-hour or at will. Octagonal, the fine gilt bronze cage with eight turned pillars and vase finials, pierced and engraved side panels, wirework dome centered by a stiff-leaf cast terminal and ring suspension, the base with gilt bronze pilasters between green painted panels, each alternate panel mounted with a charming painted on enamel scene depicting a child enjoying a country pursuit and within a gilt bronze oval swag and trophy mount, the other panels set with cast and chased gilt bronze military trophies, the whole raised on eight stiff-leaf and flower feet. On the base, white enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track and Arabic five minute numerals, arbor for the regulator. Pierced and engraved gilt brass hour and minute hands, blued steel center seconds hand. Notes Singing Bird Cages Toward the end of the 17th century, it was a popular pastime to raise canary birds and teach them to sing. This fashion was the inspiration for the decorative objects using singing birds of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, of which this clock is an example. At first, the bird's song was provided by a serinette mechanism, as is the case here; later, the Jaquet-Droz were to invent the whistle with sliding piston, which allowed a much greater m
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2008-03-16
