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c.1840 Swiss Enameled Silver Fusee Bird Box, Charles Bruguier 52, Geneve.

A very rare early 19th century enameled silver fusee bird box by the eminent maker Charles Bruguier, Geneve. When the horizontal slide is pushed to the side the lid opens and the small animated bird pops-up, sings a song and then vanishes.
The molded case has deep, crisp expertly executed floral engravings on all sides. The sides and bottom are engraved on an engine turned background while the top is engraved and enameled with colorful bouquets of flowers on a dark blue background. The lid is enameled on both sides with a detailed alpine landscape on the exterior and a bouquet of flowers on a pale blue background on the interior. The gilt bronze engraved fret under the lid hides the mechanism and continues the mystery of where the bird originated and to where it will disappear. The hinged back lifts open to reveal a compartment to hide the key.
The bird itself is covered in hummingbird feathers and like all animated birds in fusee boxes the bird rotates left and right, opens and closes its beak, flaps its wings, moves its tail and rotates its head when the mechanism is activated. Much more complicated than later animated birds, these earlier birds have a multitude of wires, gears and levers within the bird to rotate the head and achieve a more realistic animation. The complexity of the fusee movement is also responsible for the realistic nature of the piece. The small rectangular movement, wound through the base, has a series of cams and levers that control both the movement of the bird and the song. The movement pumps the bellows to fill a chamber with compressed air that is then released through a whistle. The whistle’s pitch is controlled by a piston that in turn is controlled by several cams in the movement. When activated the bird sings a complicated song for approximately 30 seconds and operates three times per wind.
The piece is signed and numbered in several places.
It is stamped ‘C Bruguier, Geneve’ and ‘52’ on the bottom plate of the movement. It is also inscribed by the maker, ‘Charles Bruguier, 5A rue des Paguis, a Geneve, Suisse 52’ along the base.
The case is inscribed 122 in several places.
Charles Abram Bruguier (1788-1862) was one of the great makers of bird automata.
His father, Charles Bruguier, began making bird automata in the late 18th century and Charles Abram continued the tradition well into the 19th century. Their pieces are always of the highest quality.
A custom made traveling case is included.
Size – 2 3/8 x 3 3/4 in.

SOLD

An exceptional silver sub-miniature corniche cased carriage clock with outstanding enamel panels on three sides. The silver case with twisted columns and a cast handle is stamped on the base ‘12516, Silver and 0.935’ and is engraved on the top AD 18.1.1900. The three well-modeled colorful enamel panels are all of differing scenes related to courtship.
The white porcelain dial has blue Arabic numbers with the exception of the red number 12, gold dots as a minute chapter and finely cast scrolled hands. The three-quarter eight-day time only movement retains its original lever balance platform and is also stamped ‘Steinmeyer, 12516.’ This clock, including the enamel panels, is in excellent condition. Included is the original hand-tooled leather case.
Height w/out handle - 2 1/8 in.
Height with handle - 2 5/8 in.
SOLD

A large gilt-bronze with chaplevee mantle clock that activates an animated bird every half-hour. The circular case has a domed top, six Corinthian columns, a stepped base and multicolored champlevee both as part of the casting and as applied bands throughout. The concave gilt-bronze dial has Arabic numbers, a champlevee center, steel spade hands, a cast bezel and is signed by the retailer ‘Tiffany and Co’. The eight-day movement has a balance wheel escapement, strikes on a bell and activates the singing birdcage movement in the base every half-hour. The animation movement is housed in the base, is wound through the side, has a manual on/off at the base and sings a song while moving the colorful bird perched in the center of the clock. The bird rotates its head and moves both its beak and tail while singing the song. The animation movement will activate every half-hour for approximately 12 full hours on a single wind.
For a similar clock see: Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments by Q. David Bowers, pg. 89.
Height 23.25in.
SOLD

A very nice small early Victorian annular dial clock with matching side pieces. The urn shaped case with original finish has a removable top, acanthus leaf handles that terminate at the sides in male grotesque appliqués, has female mounts at the front and back and is supported by a fluted column with garlands that stands on four bun feet. The two matching sidepieces have removable tops with pinecone finials, grotesque figures to the sides and also are supported on fluted columns. The two annular dials, minute and hour, have cartouche numbers that are fastened by pins in the same manner found on earlier pieces. The 8-day time and strike movement has steel endplates to ensure proper running in the horizontal position, is wound and set through the top, has a fast slow lever with linkage to the cylinder platform mounted to the bottom plate and strikes on a bell.
It is extremely rare to find annular clocks with matching side pieces. The clock is completely restored and would make a superb addition to any collection.
Height - 13in.
SOLD

A very nice 18th century animated marquetry tallcase clock by P. Hoffman, Leyden. The nicely colored and figured walnut veneer has extensive floral inlay that includes people, birds and flowers. Mother and pearl and ivory flowers and accent pieces throughout the case accentuate the wood inlays. The hood has attached columns with brass capitals, a swan’s neck top with a carved centerpiece, frets on three sides, a removable top and three gilt-wood finials. The trunk is chamfered on the front corners, has a shaped door with extensive inlay, cross-grained edge moldings and a brass escutcheon of a female figure riding a bull over the glazed opening. The whole sits upon a bombay bottom with matching inlay and animal feet. The animated brass dial has brass spandrels, a finely matted and engraved center with apertures for both the calendar and moondial, silver, engraved chapters including the hour, seconds, moondial and calendar, silver engraved signature plates signed ‘P. Hoffman, Leyden’ and a painted animated scene in the arch. The panoramic animated harbor scene includes a finely painted harbor city as the background of several waves, sea monsters and ships that all rock as the clock runs. The ‘typically’ Dutch 8-day movement has turned pillars, an anchor escapement and is both Dutch and quarter-striking. At the hour it strikes the hours on the low bell, at the first quarter it strikes once on the low bell, at the half-hour it strikes the next hour on the high bell, at the third quarter it strikes once on the high bell. Unfortunately, as is the case in many Dutch tallcases, this clock fell victim to a lazy repairman who removed the alarm mechanism.
Height - 9ft.
SOLD

An early 19th century English stick barometer with exposed tube signed ‘Hunter, 50Hhigh St.’, Ramsgate’. The case with nicely figured mahogany herringbone veneer, an arched top, a molded edge with border stringing, silvered, engraved scales and a hemispherical cistern cover. The barometric scale is signed by the maker, ‘Hunter, 50 High St., Ramsgate’, is numbered 27-31 with 10th divisions and the appropriate weather indications, and has a friction set Vernier. The temperature scale is in Fahrenheit and has a mercury tube. The boxwood cistern is concealed by a particularly well-turned cover and is housed in the base with a fixed adjusting screw regulated out the bottom. The whole is in restored condition.
Height- 38in.
SOLD

c.1795 Ormolu and White Marble Mantle Clock, Meuron & Comp, 9082.

This very nice Louis XVI ormolu and white marble quarter-striking mantle clock is signed by the maker, Meuron & Comp, both on the dial and the backplate. It depicts two wonderfully cast and modeled ormolu dogs that support the top portion of clock. The scene above depicts cupid flying amongst the clouds. In one hand is his torch while in the other is the end of the garlands which serve as the dogs' leashes. The whole sits upon the shaped white marble base which is adorned with numerous mounts, including baskets and garlands, and stands upon four toupie feet. The white porcelain dial is signed by the maker, the name encircled in gold, has nicely cast and unusually shaped ormolu hands, black Arabic numerals, gold dots as the five-minute markers and black stars as the minute markers. The eight-day two-train movement has a flat bottom, is quarter-striking on two bells and still retains its original silk-thread suspension with the fast/slow operated through the dial. The backplate is signed and numbered by the maker and carries the strikework. Guglielmo Meuron is listed in Tardy's dictionary as a maker of high-end travel clocks, many of which were provided to Breguet. This would give some explanation as to why the clock is quarter-striking and why the strike-work is located on the backplate. Height 17in. For a similar clock see La Pendule Française, pg.278.
SOLD

A rare, exceptionally fine quality miniature Japanese pillar clock. The Shitan wood case still retains its original lift-off hood, removable wood scale and a drawer to store the key. The hood has a removable sliding front door, is glazed on three sides and is held in place by a swing latch. The weight driven movement has a verge escapement with a brass balance wheel, crisply turned pillars and wheelwork and an engraved front plate. The crescent-shaped hand is mounted to the lead going weight and indicates the time on the original 13 adjustable, silvered and engraved plaques that are pinned to the removable scale as the weight descends.
The vast majority of pillar clocks are over 16inches long. It is exceedingly rare to find such a wonderfully preserved example in such a diminutive size. This piece is completely restored and would make a fine addition to even the most discriminating collection.
Original silver key included.
Overall Height – 83/8 in.
SOLD