Swiss

The musical movement is in the manner of John Rich, a maker specialised in the production of automaton watches, singing birds and snuff boxes. Rich was born in England and active in both London and Geneva where he collaborated with Jaquet-Droz & Leschot and Frères Rochat. Decorated in a style similar to the so-called Chinese calibre watch movements, the movement features highly decoratively engraved bridge work. A stack of four bells are struck by five large asymmetrical hammers, these are made in blued steel to compliment the overall design.

Exotic objects such as ornately decorated scent bottles were produced to satisfy the increasing demand from Export markets for sumptuously decorated and unusual timepieces. These flacons were often highly decorated with enamels and their mechanical complexity might range from a simple timepiece, to a watch and musical movement or, in their rarest form, with a singing bird automaton; for an example of the latter type see: Sotheby's New York, Swiss Mechanical Marvels, 11 June 2015, lot 104. 

Another scent bottle incorporating a timepiece, musical movement with four nesting bells and case with similar decorative scheme was part of the Samuel N. Tonkin collection, sold at Sotheby & Co., New York, 13 November 1967, lot 64. For a further scent flask of similar shape and similar movement, signed by Jaquet Droz, see: Sotheby's New York, 17 October 2003, lot 123.