Singing Birds

Cage with three birds

    Cage with three birds

    France

    The 1870s

    Bontems, Blaise

    Metal, wood, feathers, steel, brass; carpentry and mechanical work, intarsia, casting, gilding

    Height 64.8 cm

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    The cage is made of straight and twisted wire rods, with dome and toroidal-shaped knob at the top. The cage is mounted on wooden base of complex shape with curvilinear decorated with plates and frames made of arborvitae wood and rosewood, with embossed cast ornament of goldish color, on four ball-shaped supports. Carrying handles are on lateral sides, cast gilded flower garlands and ribbons are on protruding surfaces. The composition from dry wood, decorated with moss and lichen on the top base pane is on the upper panel. A bird in red and brown painted feathers (finch) with tuft and long tai sits on high stool; two motionless birds in bright plumage sit below it - on the roots and twig - a finch and a kingfisher. Cam mechanism with bellows, piccolo pipe, spring drive and winding hole with winding key on the front side and pullout on / off button on the right side is mounted inside the base. When the movement is winded and activated the bird emits trills, opens and closes its beak, flaps its wings and moves its tail. 

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    2152.1-2ММП/ДПИ