218,500 CHF
FRERES ROCHAT - EXCEPTIONAL SINGING BIRD BOX WITH MUSIC & REPEATING WATCH Frères Rochat, Geneva, No. 61, the box attributed to Georges Rémond et Compagnie. Made for the Chinese market circa 1820. Magnificent and extremely rare, 18K gold, enamel, pearl and turquoise-set singing bird box with independent musical movement and center-seconds, quarter-repeating watch. Four-body, rectangular with rounded corners decorated with royal blue translucent enamel swagged classical urns, each side and the base with panels of “basket” engine-turning, the borders decorated with royal blue translucent champlevé enamel stylized fl owers and leaves, hinged side panel for the key compartment, hinged front panel with aperture for the watch with pearl-set border, the hinged top panel opening to reveal a polished and foliate engraved gold plate, oval medallion concealing the bird very fi nely chased with a bouquet of fl owers set with pearls and turquoises within half-pearl-set frame, when the bird cover is opened, the bird rises and begins to move and the song starts, activated by a slide in the edge of the case, the articulated bird sings, rotates, turns its head, opens its beak, fl aps its wings and moves its tail. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute and seconds dot divisions. Blued-steel spearhead hands, gold center-seconds hand. Notes It is exceptional to fi nd a singing bird box with both music and a watch with repeating. The musical movement is interesting in th
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2012-03-11
