Antique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques Bruguier

A fabulous antique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques Bruguier
 
Swiss
 
circa 1845
 
Fusee movement
 
The sweet scent of roses will empower you to come closer...
 
Serial number 451,
 
When wound and start/stop slide actuated, the bird lid opens and bird appears, rising through delicate foliate chased and tooled pierced gilt grille, chirping beak, turning head, flapping wings, bobbing tailfeather and twisting whole body from side to side, expertly synchronised to the slight paused sequential birdsong from the eight cam-stack to 1-1-2-2-3-4 notation lasting approximately 27 seconds.
 
Signed in J. Bruguier's hand with workshop address in Geneva to the spring loafer.  Highly efficient dual-cross fan governor.
 
The bird with dark brown feathered plumage with very fine speckled tones of turquoise, blue and red, and subtle tints of red and green iridescence, all reflected in full in the highly polished lid interior in such rich gold tone, the edges shimmer with the faintest of light, bird lid top with a superb close and far-reach view incorporating a sweeping spray of flowers with giant rose heads in close view, beside which the landscape beyond sweeps away with the eye following the river bank with towered folly and mountainous hills blessed in the setting sun in the far distance, petit interlocking circular frieze edge before the raised stylised floral border.
 
The case with the main lid almost entirely in filled in the most fabulous enamel, with a continuous crest of ivy leaves, flanked by paired united spandrels in rich blue with radiating sprays of flowers with further rose heads, pansies, primroses and poppies, balanced by leaves, blue scroll border before the many tooled features of which the main edge is of repeating dagger leaves, rounded indent corners, the front, sides and back all with oval crest with central floral chase-work, on blue enamel ground, black enamel infilled surround with battlement raising, and the ivy leaves making another appearance along with blue lotus head and small clipper blue enamel flowers, all on raised tooled ground, the corners with diamond tooling.
The underside with sensational cartouche with interwoven scrolls and leaf trails, double curled scroll spandrels all on full frame weaved lined ground, hidden key compartment to rear, wide slender start/stop slide to front-right.     
 
size - 3.5/8in. wide, 2.3/8in. deep, 1.3/8in. high
 
Point of Interest -
 
What an exceptional singing bird box.  The enamel work is unsurpassed and perfect.  The tooling with such careful execution and fine reveal, the eye is constantly distracted from a target by being pulled to every part of the case and lid as there is simply so much to see.
 
We cannot easily describe this piece in all respects.  It is one of those rare objects which strikes real power and wonder.
 
The Bruguier family made boxes - their first being as good as their last.  Quality is therefore assured with them and their Swiss traditions of horology is still looked up to, not down, even though it was made in the past. 
That is real skill and we proudly present it.
 

 

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Antique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques Bruguier
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Antique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques BruguierAntique silver-gilt, tri-tone enamel and pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Jacques Bruguier
 
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75 Portobello Road London W11 2QB 0207 221 1121 07967 385258
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