A gilt-metal and enamel singing bird box with timepiece, by C. H. Marguerat,
circa 1930,
Ser. No. 663,
Bat. No. 178,
with going-barrel movement, the bird with busy multi-coloured feathered plumage in midnight blue, lime green, turquoise and red with orange and green iridescent highlights, moving bone beak, wings and tailfeather to continuous birdsong, rising through pressed and chased gilt grille against highly polished gilt interior, lid with engraved musical instrument and floral ensemble, petit laurel-leaf and mitre boss border, the main lid with velvet engine-turned decoration beneath powder pink enamel, black bar enamel compliment edges, the timepiece with silvered dial, Western Arabic numerals in black with blued slender cardet hands, wind/set crown to underside edge, sides with quatrefoil and linier wave-line ground panels, shaped corners and quadruplet and cat's-eye panel to underside, with period key, start/stop button to front-right, in lined dark blue leather travelling case - 4in. (10cm) wide
Ser. No. 663,
Bat. No. 178,
with going-barrel movement, the bird with busy multi-coloured feathered plumage in midnight blue, lime green, turquoise and red with orange and green iridescent highlights, moving bone beak, wings and tailfeather to continuous birdsong, rising through pressed and chased gilt grille against highly polished gilt interior, lid with engraved musical instrument and floral ensemble, petit laurel-leaf and mitre boss border, the main lid with velvet engine-turned decoration beneath powder pink enamel, black bar enamel compliment edges, the timepiece with silvered dial, Western Arabic numerals in black with blued slender cardet hands, wind/set crown to underside edge, sides with quatrefoil and linier wave-line ground panels, shaped corners and quadruplet and cat's-eye panel to underside, with period key, start/stop button to front-right, in lined dark blue leather travelling case - 4in. (10cm) wide
Sold for
£4,560
inc. premium
Footnotes
- A similar singing bird box in electric blue enamel from Marguerat but from their Austrian factory, was offered as lot 38 in the Fine Scientific & Mechanical Musical Instruments sale in these rooms on Wednesday 19th March 2008.
Although the case on this piece is superb, the movement has a fault not seen before; the song in question is the most popular number seven (from the original Bontems catalogue featuring eleven melodies). The melody starts and ends in the middle due to the song running cam installed 180 degrees past correct position on the spindle. In order for this to run with the melody stopping and starting correctly, the wheel will have to be re-milled to fit 180 degrees past its current position on the centre spindle.
It was not uncommon for pieces by Marguerat to leave the factory with non-essential technical problems, through speed of meeting financial targets.
Category: Collectibles / Mechanical Music
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