German

Hallmarked with 930 German standard silver mark and English import mark for 1924

 

A clear-cut singing beauty...

When wound and the bird-form start/stop slide actuated, the bird lid opens as bird magically appears, opening and closing polished metal beak, flapping both wings, bobbing tailfeather and turning body sharply from side-to-side, perfectly synchronised to the continuous birdsong, ending when bird drops down as lid closes.

The bird with superb feathered plumage in various greens, dark blue and red with plenty of green and red iridescent highlights, rising up through the very detailed pierced and chased gilt grille with bird-form centrum, shimmered polished gilt lid interior for a soft muffled reflection.  In the famous No. 1 solid silver case to the serpentine profile on front and side planes, extensively chased with no less than nine birds in half wing-spread stance, perched among scrolled branches raised against petit-point ground, plain polished edge reserves, back with hidden key compartment and underside chased in matching detail with a further two birds with the nest between a V branch being the end cap of the winding spindle itself.

With the original bird-form key and fitted travelling case in dark blue rexine with cream silk lined interior.

Size - 4in. wide, 1.3/4in. high, 2.3.4in. deep - (10 x 4.5 x 7cm)

Point of Interest - 

The No. 1 is back, with this lovely example bearing a good subtle hue of the gilding all over, a very strong song with excellent movement, all housed within the original travelling case for safety.  May also explain why the condition of this piece is so very good.  
There are birds everywhere on this case and unlike many boxes which arrived from Germany later on in their lives, this one was shipped almost immediately after manufacture with clear marks on both sides of Europe stamped on the left-hand side of the case.  The superb decoration so very wonderfully busy, it may take a while to notice them...