Exceptional horologic works of art

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Oct 11, 2003

LOT 88

Nightingale and Fledglings. FR (Frères Rochat), Geneva, No. 228, probably made for the Russian market, circa 1814. Magnificent, highly important and probably unique gold and enamel, diamond-set miniature singing bird cage with center-seconds petite sonnerie clockwatch, the three birds singing on the hour or at will.

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Sold: CHF 1,873,500

C. Octagonal base, side panels very finely painted on enamel with lakeside scenes, watch in the front surrounded by green enamel plaque painted with garlands of flowers and red ribbons, back with bouquet of flowers, chased and engraved gold background, canted corners with azure enamel plaques applied to a chased and foliate engraved gold background, spring-loaded front panel reveals winding and setting arbors, striking/silence lever, singing/silence lever, activation lever at the left edge. The cage, following the shape of the base, supported on four sets of two Corinthian columns in rose gold with yellow gold capitals and floral bases, mesh wire screen at the base, the cage itself formed of rose gold lances. The dome stands on a gold and chased ribbon bordered with black champlevé enamel, with alternating diamonds and azure enamel segments centered by gold leaves, the eight panels of the dome formed of alternating segments of gold wire mesh with applied painted on enamel flower garlads and pierced and florally engraved gold segments separated by half-round gold wire with translucent imperial blue enamel, the base of the dome decorated with translucent red, green, and blue enamel over flinqué forming flowers, foliage and a setting sun, the gold cage floor pierced and engraved with arches and a fleur-de-lis pattern. Inside a nightingale rests on a gold bar, a gold wire mesh nest with two baby birds resting on a green enamel pedestal painted with flowers. Gold ring handle mounted in gold finial decorated with painted on enamel flowers on a pale green ground, gold neck, gold ball feet.D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute divisions. Blued steel Breguet hands.M. Rectangular 45 x 30 mm, brass, fixed barrels, cylinder escapement, three-arm gold balance with flat balance spring, striking based on a single cam with each of the 12 hour notches divided into three for quarters, striking on two bells, hour-hammer pusher lifted after striking hours, pinion governor set in eccentric bushing for speed regulation.Singing bird movement. Octagonal, 86 x 72 mm, brass, reversed fusee and chain, rectangular bellows, six-wheel train (including fusee), 3rd wheel arbor set with eight spring-loaded cams which make 4 revolutions per song - they mostly control the singing, the extension of its arbor is fixed with a set of six cams and a pusher for the Maltese cross set on the 4th wheel and fitted with loosely revolving 4-step cam at the top which changes the position of the cams at each turn. The top cams control the movements of the birds, 2-wing governor with adjustable weights set on a worm (endless) gear.Signed and numbered on both sides of the singing-bird movement and on front plate of the watch movement.Dim. Height 271 mm, base 98 mm.


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Notes

Miniature gold and enamel cages are among the most precious and spectacular type of singing bird pieces. Those with multiple birds are exceedingly rare among them. To date, there are only two known miniature gold cages with birds singing on the hour; one, in the Patek Philippe Museum, was sold by Antiquorum on October 17, 1993, lot 354. The second is the present piece. Both cages feature a mother bird and her fledglings. The cage in the Patek Philippe museum also has the father bird. This cage is remarkable for its extremely rich decoration, typical of the high standards applied to pieces intended for the Oriental market, or that of the Russian empire. Even the dome, usually of gold filigree, is here embellished with applied finely painted on enamel flower garlands and a frieze of multicolored champlevé enamel motifs, including fleur-de-lis, swags, and setting suns. The frieze rests on a band of alternating azure blue enamel segments and no less than twenty good-sized diamonds.From both an esthetic and a technical point of view, this cage is astonishing for the complexity of its design and the excellence of its execution. It is remarkable to see how in such a small space, the Rochats were able to transfer the movements to all the wings, beaks, and tails, and make all three birds turn. The movement of the mother bird is ingeniously transferred via hollow columns; one column for turning the body, the other for flapping the wings and tail and opening the beak. The movements to the chicks are facilitated by means of a special platform fixed just below them.The functions are:- The clock- Petite sonnerie / silence- Bird Song/silence- Singing on requestThe most spectacular Rochat pieces, such as singing bird pistols, singing bird bracelets, or the smallest of the singing bird boxes, are not signed but are simply punched. These master artisans worked on commission for the most eminent merchants of the time, such as Piguet & Meylan, Bautte, or Moulinié, who did not want names other than their own to appear.This cage is not only punched on the singing bird movement but also on the watch movement. The present cage, one of the most complicated pieces signed by the Rochats, gives us a rare opportunity to study the work of the Rochats. This is a museum piece of the highest mechanical, historical, and artistic importance.