Important Watches, Pocket Watches and...
Noga Hilton Hotel, Nov 13, 2005
LOT 206
?The Blackbird? Attributed to Blaise Bontems, Paris, circa 1860. Extremely rare and spectacular singing automaton blackbird turning its head, flapping its wings, and opening its beak as it sings.
CHF 22,000 - 27,000
EUR 14,000 - 17,000 / USD 17,000 - 21,000
C. Superbly made and feathered to resemble a real blackbird, body formed of a brass shell, blackened brass legs, glass eyes and real beak. M. Shaped, brass, going barrel, cams controlling the song and the bird's movements, rectangular bellows mounted in the tail, piston below. Dim. Length 16 cm, height 12.5 cm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AA |
Very good |
Case: 3-15 |
Good Slightly rusted |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Notes
This blackbird automaton is extremely rare; only two others are known. One was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, October 11, 2003, Lot 569.
The other, formerly in the Sandoz collection, is now on display in Le Locle's Musée des Monts. Its lifelike appearance is due to the mechanism's
being contained within its body, allowing the bird to stand freely. Thus, the movements of its head, wings and beak, and its song, all seem to
be spontaneous. This rare mechanical bird is attributed to the Parisian artisan Blaise Bontems 1814-1893. Bontems, the foremost specialist
in singing birds, was the founder of a veritable dynasty of singing bird makers, which included his son Charles Jules and his grandson Lucien.
The Bontems account books for the year 1879 mention two "bronze birds", feathered to resemble a tanager - ?tangara rouge?, which were sold
to clients in Paris and Moscow. Literature: Flights of Fancy - Mechanical Birds, Sharon & Christian Bailly, Antiquorum Editions.