An antique small single singing bird-in-cage, by Bontems,

 

French

 

circa 1910

 

Going-barrel movement, with intermittent feature

 

The classic small singing bird to cherish

 

When wound and the start/stop lever slid to full position, the perched bird sings the jolly and melodic continuous phases, perfectly synchronising beak, head and tailfeather .With the start/stop lever to half position, the phases are paused with a few seconds of silence between each section.

 

The bird with soft pastel yellow toned feathered plumage, light use of sturdy black feathers as the noted highlights, on a brass T perch adorned by delicate silk and green finished metal twine branches with leaves and small flowerheads. This is set on the mustard yellow velvet covered base, under a small gilt circular domed cage with hoop and boss top, a pressed and tooled intermediate band, on a beautiful pressed gilt metal base featuring in relief a double helical floral matrix, on three turned feet. This box has a captive key to base which of course cannot be mislaid.

 

size - aprox 11" Tall

 

Point of interest -

 

A classic choice of singing bird in cage awaits you, featuring a superb feathered bird surrounded by the trails and greenery of leaves and flowers.

The intermittent feature is not found on all singing birds.  It comprises a lever which stops the governor in its tracks when the air reservoir reaches it full capacity, and when the air slowly leaks out under the compression, the lever clears the governor to make it run until the lever stops the movement again and again. 

Clever Bontems, naturalistic movement and that extra feature which provides the owner that little bit more.