A fine antique silver-gilt and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Charles Bruguier,

Circa 1835

Fusee movement

Serial number 560

The most realistic birdsong heard in the world, wrapped up and scent with roses...

When wound and start/stop slide to front centre slid to the right, the exceptionally detailed feathered bird rises elegantly through pierced and tooled rich gilt grille of vines and curls, moving beak, head from side-to-side, wings, bobbing tailfeather and whole body from side-to-side to the 1-1-2-3-2-4 real-phrase sequential birdsong from the 8 cam stack.

The bird with banded feathered plumage in matt tones of dark brown, Royal blue, clipper blue, mustard, red and lime green, expertly interlaced with hues of great iridescence in electric green, red, orange and turquoise, movement with tapered 3 pillar plates and with the classic C. Bruguier large format spring loafer, the inside of the bird lid with a beautiful painted enamel study of roses and pansies complete with leaves on Royal blue ground, zig-zag tooth tooled border, the lid top with pictorial enamel view of large Swiss alpine lakeside chalets with track towards the bank with sailing boats and people aboard under the shadow of mature trees, further vassals upon the water in the far distance and the late afternoon sun casting a pink hue to the sides of the mountain peeks beyond under a pastel blue sky, framed by diamond-point border with top scrolled crest infilled with black enamel, the main lid with four large and imposing superb dark blue enamel spandrels, each with finely painted spray of roses, periwinkles, daisies and pansies, trailed through with leaves and buds, triple diamond frieze locks left and right with white and clipper blue enamel infils, top and bottom with stylised Greek key matrix in blue, white filed border and black infil border with triangle frieze before mitre shaped corners with rounded profiles, front and all sides with fabulous flowering scroll swag and leaf tooled decoration on petit cat's eye ground, further diamond tooled columns to the corners and underside with full oval cartouche with rose heads and olive leaves on cat's eye and wave line ground, shaped start/stop likewise in gilt to front-centre.

size - 3.3/4in. wide, 1.1/2in. high, 2.3/8in. deep, (9.5 x 3.8 x 6.2cm)

Point of interest -

Fusee motor singing bird box movements operate a substantial array of parts in order to convey the magic hidden within the beautiful case.  They were designed to run at the least amount of power from the spring so that all parts have a long life through energy efficiency.

The average birdsong volume can be less than that of a going-barrel, but the quality across the board is substantially more.  Bruguier 'recorded' birdsong straight from the forests, so the magic on these is real, not simply an impression of the sound. 

The volume on this incredible piece of Bruguier engineering is loud and proud.  Make no mistake, this is one of the best sounding fusee Bruguier boxes to be heard and offered in the world.  And all the while the enamel blazes wonderfully.