The Art of Horology in Geneva

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Nov 13, 1999

LOT 67

Henry Borell, London, produced in Geneva byJaquet-Droz, the mechanism by Jacob Frisard, made for the Chinese Market, circa 1790.Very fine and extremely rare 18K gold and enamel, pearl-set oval singing bird box.

CHF 180,000 - 220,000

C. Three body, blue flinqué enamelled lid base and side panels with further paillonné decoration and champlevé enamelled borders, the lid with split-pearl set border. Singing bird aperture with split-pearl set bezel. The cover of the box painted with a family taking out their child and dog, for a walk in a park. Singing bird movement: Oval plates with turned pillars, fusee with chain, circular bellow, the bird with moving wings, tail and beak, controlled by a stack of6 cams, inertia wheel regulator. Inner gilt protection grill, pierced and engraved with foliage.Signed on the protection grill.Dim. 90 x 60 x 36 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3 - 17
Movement: * 3

Notes

An almost identical singing bird box, previously in theM. H. Plisson Collection, in Paris is described by A. Chapuis andE. Gélis in Le Monde des Automates, Paris 1928, Vol. II, p. 113-114, fig. 389, and three others, very similar, Fig. 190, 191 and 192.Drawn from the archives of J. F. Leschot, A. Chapuis and E. Gélis give p. 108 the following information concerning this type of singing birds: they were always made of 18K gold of which the weight, without the enamel, pearls and mountings, was of about 5 1/2 ounces (170 gr). Their price, in gold and enamel, set with split-pearls, was of 130 French gold Louis. The mechanism was produced by Frisard and was paid 50 Louis in 1793.From the Mark Yaffe Collection