A very attractive antique gilt metal singing bird box, by Bontems,

 

Circa 1870

 

Going-barrel movement

 

Natural gilt colour of temptation...

 

When wound and slender start/stop button moved to the right, our bird rises through the intricately chased and pierced gilt grille, moving bone beak, wings, tailfeather and body from side-to-side to the highly melodic continuous synchronised birdsong.

The bird which eye catching banded feathered plumage in black, dark blue, lime green and red, offset beautifully with electric green iridescent highlights to bib, highly polished lid interior for full bird reflection, the bird lid top with a pair of move birds in-flight with large rosehead and swag crest before them incised to the gilt metal, double laurel leaf frieze border, main top with flower groups from half-shield framed clusters, developed further with flower spandrels to complete the tooled border before mitre-tooth frieze edge, front and all sides with geometric flower-heart scrolls and further laurel leaf columns against rounded corners, underside with double union Rococo C scroll cartouche against wave-line ground, and hidden key compartment to rear.

 

Point of interest -

 

Here is a very good example of how an untouched antique gilt singing bird box should be.  A haze of delicate colour with no obvious wear concentrated to any part with the original finish showing a clear yellow-stain hue to all sides.  This gilt colour is much prized to collectors who like gilt boxes to display only the manufacturer's colour as it was intended.

 

RG