A Jewelled Gold and Enamel Musical Automaton Snuff Box with Timepiece, Jean-Joseph-Isaac Bellamy, Geneva, circa 1800, the Mechanism by Decombaz & Rich, London

oval, the lid centred with a timepiece with a glazed white enamel dial with Roman numerals, within a rose-cut diamond-set frame, flanked by two smaller jewelled apertures around Catherine wheels over small enamel disks decorated with curved paillon husk bands, on a semi-translucent royal blue enamel ground over sunray engine-turning, framed with a border of twenty-four smaller circular apertures around rose-cut diamond-set spiralling wheels moving in the opposite direction as the Catherine wheels, the apertures enhanced with paler blue paillon tulip and leaf swags and dark blue taille d'épargne sprays and red beads on a gold ground, below an outer rose-cut diamond-set border, the sides decorated with taille d'épargne urns and scrolls alternating with pierced parts to enhance the sound of the music, the base painted en plein with an oval enamel miniature of a classically-dressed young couple at the hunt, their two spaniels nearby, in a gold laurel paillon frame, on a royal blue enamel ground matching that on the lid, within pale blue paillon frame, the outer reeded borders probably formerly enamelled,

the hinged lid opening to reveal a the musical movement playing two tunes, with fourteen diamond and sapphire Catherine wheels to rim, two larger ones to each side, a fusee movement with engraved plates and cocks, the mechanism stamped with serial no. N 1451, the timepiece in the centre with a Swiss cylinder movement, the cuvette engraved: 'to wind up to the right / to turn the hands', the box with maker's mark II over IB, in a red leather presentation case with tooled inscription 'Dose Jérôme Napoleon',

Length 8.8 cm., 3 1/2 in.