Russia, Saint-Petersburg

1857

Akerblom Gustav Magnus

Silver, steel, brass, turquoise; punch work, gold-plating, soldering, champleve enamel

Master's mark - GO, assay office mark - E.B, date - 1857, silver alloy 84, emblem of Saint-Petersburg

Music box in rectangular ornately shaped case on four feet - paws. Shaped chased hinged handles are at the sides. A cast handle of complicated form fixed by hinges is on the top hinged panel. The top part of the handle is formed by connected heads of two bearded men. Side surfaces and top hinged panel with the handle are decorated with punched ornament on repousse background and facetted agate inserts, colourfull turquoise and agate cabochons tightly fixed in soldered cups and enamelled shaped onlays. Niello silver rosaces with turquoise cabochon in the center fixed with threaded pins with nuts are on the top, rear and side panels. The central part of the top panel (lid) is drawn upwards in the form of the cone, ona large agate cabochon surrounded by small turquoise inserts is on its crown. Miniature figurines of knights in armor standing on folded leaves are on the case corners. Movement activating buttons with agate inserts are on the front side to the right and on the side surface to the right. Cylinder movement with a sound comb covered with open-work lattice with three punched pads; two of them are in the form of griffons and one is in the form of a branch with leaves. The lattice has rectangular window for the programe cylinder. Two ornately shaped handles on the joints allow withdrawing the lattice. A disc with large agate cabochon surrounded by metal twisting is in the lattice right corner . When the movement is activated, the disc starts turning clockwise. The direction of rotation is indicated by the engraved arrow. The winding key is rigidly fixed on the bottom side, arrows are engraved near it,  inscription «Заводъ» (Factory).