A RARE LATE 19TH CENTURY TORTOISESHELL AND MOTHER OF PEARL INLAID SINGING BIRD BOX

A RARE LATE 19TH CENTURY TORTOISESHELL AND MOTHER OF PEARL INLAID SINGING BIRD BOX

possibly by Bontems

the tortoiseshell box inlaid with multi tone mother of pearl and gilt decoration, with a border of vines and grapes, the back with hinged panel revealing a compartment for the winding key, the top of the oval lid decorated with a gilt bird, rising when the small handle is pulled at the side, to reavel and bird shaped grill and a brightly coloured bird which appears and sings whilst flapping its wings, with going barrel movement.

10cm wide x 3cm high

In working order but not fully tested or guaranteed.

This lot is subject to CITES due to the tortoiseshell content.

This is most likely a transistional period box, made when the last of the fusee movements were well on their way out, but workshops still had plenty of parts to bridge both this and the new going-barrel technology. No waste was made on these types of boxes, making the governor position rear-side an unusual place to house it. Despite a maker not making themselves known to us, these transistional boxes are still very rare and do not appear often.