STYLE: European Silver, Gold Boxes and Ceramics

A SILVER-GILT AND ENAMEL SINGING BIRD BOX, CHARLES BRUGUIER, GENEVA, MID 19TH CENTURY

Restricted Species

Auction Closed

November 11, 04:08 PM GMT

Estimate

20,000 - 30,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

A SILVER-GILT AND ENAMEL SINGING BIRD BOX, CHARLES BRUGUIER, GENEVA, MID 19TH CENTURY

rectangular with fluted corners, the lid brightly enamelled with flower bouquets on a turquoise ground within ondulating black enamel border, centred by an enamel panel representing an alpine lakescape, opening to reveal a small turquoise-feathered singing bird with ivory beak rising from a pierced oval grille, its bird opening, its wings flapping, the inside of lid plaque enamelled in the same turquoise enamel, the sides with floral foliage over diaper pattern, the fusee movement signed 'C. Bruguier, Genève' and numbered: 529, in the original fitted leather case, later key

9.5cm., 3¾in wide

(3)

This lot contains ivory and other restricted materials. Sotheby's recommends that buyers check with their own government regarding any importation requirements prior to placing a bid. For example, US regulations restrictor prohibits the import of certain items (including ivory) to protect wildlife conservation. Please note that Sotheby's will not assist buyers with CITES licence applications where a buyer elects to either collect or arrange their own shipping, nor will Sotheby's assist with the international movement of ivory/rhino horn by air, either as freight or through hand carry. Sotheby's shipping will only assist in shipping the lot to either domestic UK or EU destinations, where delivery is made by road transport. A buyer's inability to export or import these lots cannot justify a delay in payment or sale cancellation.

Charles Abraham Bruguier, born in Geneva in 1788, was 'the last of the great makers of singing birds in the true tradition of the Jaquet-Droz', to whom the invention of singing bird boxes has traditionally been attributed (Geoffrey T. Mayson, Mechanical Singing-Bird Tabatières, London, 2000, p. 16). Bruguier's son, also named Charles Abraham, was born in 1816, and the family lived in London between 1816 and 1822, where Bruguier improved his craftmanship further on mechanical boxes of all sorts. His son continued his business later on, and much like Bontems, they did not only make these colourfully-enamelled cheerful bird boxes, but also specialised in repairing earlier examples of earlier automaton makers, such as Jaquet-Droz and Leschot. The example in the present lot has a ornamental lever which seems to be more charactetistic for boxes of the later years.