A silver-gilt and painted porcelain-bossed singing bird box, by B. F. of Germany
Circa 1950,
Going-barrel movement,
Serial number 5,
Portholes of beauties from the past...
When wound and the start/stop pull actuated, the bird emerges through pierced and tooled gilt grille then begins to move metal beak, wings, tailfeather and body from side-to-side to continuous synchronised birdsong.
The bird with predominant lemon-yellow and lime green wash feathered plumage, matt black stripe and tipped highlights, matt polished lid interior, in slight-bulbous polished gilded silver case, the bird lid with study of a lady wearing red fez, diamond necklace,boulle-dot relief border, repeated to main lid edge, all sides with further painted porcelain studies of ladies with headdresses with another appearance of fez adorned portrait to front, plain underside bearing Sterling and export marks.
4.1/2in. wide, 3.1/8in. deep, 1.3/4in. high - (11.5 x 8 x 4.5cm)
Point of interest -
Meissen were commissioned by two German makers of bird boxes to produce finely painted panels to mount to cases and here, these finely painted bisque porcelain ovals compliment magnificently the highly polished silver-gilt ground. The purposes of these portraits may have been to highlight the many fashions of headwear, as each of the portraits appear to be the same or very similar ladies.
This movement is larger including the spring barrel diameter, meaning a longer-lasting running time over standard type 1 and 2 going-barrel movements.