Lot 142

Attributed to Charles Bruguier à Genève, 92 x 59 x 34 mm, 360 g, circa 1860
An exquisite, extremely rare silver enamel singing bird box
Case: silver, rectangular box with rounded corners, engine-turned sides, all-over very fine engravings of flowers and garlands; front with slide to release the automaton in the form of a feathered bird; back with folding panel to conceal the key compartment; top part with polychrome Cloisonné enamel flowers and two oval enamel plaques decorated with summer flowers; central opaque blue enamelled oval plaque with diamond-studded monogram "LS". Automaton mechanism: rectangular, full-plate, chain/fusee, bellows, bird with moving head, wings and tail in front of a pierced and engraved gold plate.
Charles-Abraham Bruguier the younger (1818-1891)
He came from a family of well-known singing bird makers which had its origin in the works of Charles-Abraham Bruguier senior (1788-1862). The younger Charles Abraham Bruguier was born in London because his father worked there at the time. He is mentioned in the 1843 records of Geneva as working in the Terreaux de Chantepoulet street; he later moved to the Rue Rousseau, to the Rue Sismondi and then to the Rue des Pâquis. Charles-Abraham the younger manufactured singing bird boxes which were similar to those his father created; the same is true for his brother-in-law Jacques Bruguier, and the latter's son Jacques-Alexander. Charles-Abraham Bruguier senior had redesigned singing bird movements in that he slightly simplified them to facilitate production and at the same time managed to extend the length of the song.