A Bird in the Bush

A Bird in the Bush. Attributed to Piguet & Meylan, Geneva, circa 1825, made for the Chinese market. Exceptionally fine and rare, very small, 18K varicolored gold and enamel, pearl-set tabatière with singing bird and music, both driven by one mainspring. In a fitted morocco leather box. Three-body, rectangular with rounded corners, top and base with oval medallions painted on enamel with flowers against light yellow translucent enamel over sunburst engine-turning, azure borders with gold foliage, set with graduated split pearls at the top, sides decorated with cartouches painted with flowers against azure enamel, corners with green champlevé enamel and gold and black enamel foliage. The hinged lid reveals a compartment, the hinged base opening to reveal the bird scene. The bird compartment has a double gold bottom for better sound. The front panel has a gold bolt for activation, the back opening at the bird plate for switching from singing to music. Set on a painted on enamel Alpine scene, with a garden in the foreground, a house and mountains in the background, applied multicolored gold flower vase, and foliage. The feathered bird is fixed to the plate over the gold foliage as if it were sitting on one of the branches, it flaps its wing as its tail and beak move. At the top right corner is an applied gold butterfly concealing the sound opening. Notes This is the only known singing bird box of this unique technical construction, combining the functions of the singing bir