A gold, enamel and pearl singing bird box, the movement by Jacob Frisard (1753-1810), signed: Jacob Frisard à Genève, the box makers' mark of Rémond, Lamy & Cie., Geneva, 1801-1804

oval, the lid painted with Betsy in trouble, engraved in 1797 by Schiavonetti, after the painting by John Russell, within a ring of half pearls, opening to reveal the feathered automaton, the ground enamelled in deep translucent blue over shaded engine-turning within taille d'épargne chevron borders, the sides divided by pillars and urns, the base with hinged key compartment, with gold, enamel and metal pendent key

The bird is playing well at the time of cataloguing but the movement would benefit from professional cleaning. Sotheby's does not guarantee the functioning of the movement. A video of the bird in action is to be found in the online catalogue. It should be noted that the bird has the original metal wings without feathers attached. There has been tactful restoration to the painted enamel lid near the hinge and to the top and sides. The key has the original enamelled gold handle but now has a later metal shaft presumably to replace a deformed or snapped-off gold shaft.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping.

Important Notice regarding importation into the United States of Rolex watches
Sotheby's cannot arrange for the delivery of Rolex watches to the United States because U.S. laws restricts the import of Rolex watches. The buyer or a designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale."

Jacob Frisard, apparently an inventive and innovative mechanical genius, is credited with many of the advances which brought Swiss automata and singing bird boxes to their highest peak at the beginning of the 19th century. Jacob, son of Louis Frisard and his wife, Marie-Madelaine Bourquin, was born in January 1753, in the village of Villeret, near Berne, in the Swiss Jura. Following family tradition, he served his apprenticeship as a clockmaker in La Chaux-de-Fonds. According to Sharon Bailly, Oiseaux de Bonheur, Geneva, 2001, he then worked for clockmakers in Turin for around 12 years from 1772, marrying there Catherine Vastapani in 1778. The couple were to produce at least 14 children and concern for his numerous progeny seems to have influenced many of Frisard's work decisions, leading him to flee Geneva for Bienne in 1792, under the threat of the French invasion of Savoy. Earlier the couple had moved to Carouge, outside the city of Geneva, around 1784. Frisard was making watches at this time as well as working closely on mechanical inventions with the Jaquet-Droz and their associate Frédéric Leschot. The Frisard family apparently did not return to Geneva until the turn of the century and it is from the surviving letters Leschot wrote to Frisard during the Bienne years that much of the information we have about Jacob's working life, skills and character has been gleaned. There is no doubt that he was a mécanicien of paramount ability and he has been credited with inventing the mechanism that enabled the lids of singing bird boxes to close smoothly after the bird itself has slipped back into its nest. He himself felt that his talents had been somewhat over-shadowed by the fame of the Jaquet-Droz and Leschot name, endeavouring in later years to promote his own more elaborate creations by travelling in the way that they had done. Indeed it was on the return from a visit to Constantinople that Frisard died in a small town in Bulgaria in 1810.

Because of the long association with the Jaquet-Droz & Leschot partners, surviving singing bird boxes or automata with Frisard's signature on the mechanism are extremely rare. The exact pair to the present example (with the subject on the lid in reverse) is illustrated  by Alfred Chapuis and Edouard Gélis, Le Monde des Automates, Paris, 1928, vol. 2, p. 114, the photograph apparently supplied to them by the collector Gustave Loup, so possibly then located in China. Because of the makers' mark of Rémond, Lamy & Co., on the present example, we know that the box can be dated between 1801 and 1804, most probably around 1803, shortly after Frisard's return to Geneva.