Description

A late 19^th Century Swiss automated singing bird in a tortoiseshell box .  Brass movement keywound through the base.  Bellows and piston mechanism to vary the song of the bird. .  The bird covered in iridescent humming bird feathers.  Moving the gilt lateral slide on the front of the box causes the gold and enamel oval lid to open and the bird to hinge into an upright position.  It starts its song, rotates left and right, flaps its wings and opens and closes its beak.  Moving the slide to the left folds the bird back into the case and the lid closes.  Tortoiseshell box with a compartment at the back with a hinged tortoiseshell lid. The top of oval gilt hinged cover to the bird decorated with a polychrome enamel floral scene. Inside a lakeside alpine scene.  Gilt tooled red morocco box lined with purple velvet.