A highly unusual French painted tôle and wood aviary on stand, signed 'J. Beau' dated 1869

in the form of an Ottoman palace, the elm and oak stand carved with four 'S'-scroll supports, the turned stem surmounted by a tazza on four splayed scrolled legs applied with roundels and surmounted by neo-classical urn finials, on iron castors

Birdcage: Some refreshment to the painting. Minor losses to painting commensurate with age and use. Some minor replaced section of tôle and some very minor losses to tôle in places. The piece is a bit dirty and would benefit from a clean. Stand: Some old minor restorations generally to old breaks and some minor sections chipped off the urn finials, the tazza has also been restored and there are some minor hairline cracks. There are also some sections chipped off the urns on top of the legs as visible from the photograph. Highly unusual piece in overall good original condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. 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.
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."

The history of the bird cage, as an artistic entity in its own right, is very ancient, indeed there is an example carved on an 8th century BC tomb at the Vatican. There are lavish examples in silver set with precious stones recorded at the court of Elizabeth I, finely carved oak and walnut examples form the 17th century (G. Bernard Hughes, Old English Bird-Cages, Country Life, September 24th 1953, pp.973-974.). During the 18th century the very best cages employed mahogany, sometimes mounted with ivory - staunchly neo-classical, and in some cases comparable to detailed architectural models see Fine English Furniture, these rooms, 17th June 1983, lot 76.

Across Europe in the 19th century there were extraordinary examples produced, as fanciful as the birds that they were designed to contain. There are the more modest, in the form of town houses see Christies New York, 19th April 2001, lot 261, to the wonderful châteaux sold at Sotheby's Olympia, 11th March 2003, lot 12. This cage employed some of the devices seen in the offered lot, particularly the use of painted tôle and similar scalloped roof tiles. For others see an 18th century example, sold these rooms, December 16th 1966, lot 37. This much earlier example uses intricate wire work, like the offered lot, to create shape and form whilst allowing the inhabitants of the cage to be viewed clearly. Sotheby's also sold a charming example catalogued as possibly Dutch, these rooms, 31st of March 1967, lot 56. This birdcage was of the same fantastic type although perhaps not as exuberant as the offered lot.