Musical Automaton Roullet Decampt

Unique flower pot with singing bird automaton made by Bontems in the last quarter of the 19th century. Bontems was a manufacturer of bird automatons in Paris. He produced decent num...

Very beautiful and rare clock with bird automaton. Made by Bontems at the end of 19th century in Paris. This French pendulum clock runs for 8 days, strikes the half hour and full ho...

Musical souvenir box made in Switzerland in the 19th century for the German marker This rare snuffbox plays 2 melodies. Indicated on the inside of the lid. The case is made of met...

Early Fad Cylinder music box made in Geneva by Nicole Freres. This is a good example of those early music boxes. The mechanisme has a fad cylinder and plays 8 tunes in a 2 per turn...

One of the most amazing timepieces we have ever acquired that offers far more than meets the eye, this incredible work of art blends the beauty of a painting with the mechanical complexities of both a cylinder music box and an automaton. While it is clear to see the integrated clock residing within the arched giltwood and gesso frame, when activated, this painting quite literally comes alive. As the cylinder mechanism within plays its lovely tune, every character in the farrier's shop becomes animated – from the group of farrier's toiling away at the forge and anvil forming the horseshoes, to the wagging of the charming terrier's tale. This musical automaton picture clock is attributed to Xavier Tharin of Paris who was the preeminent creator of this fantastical "moving pictures", especially this particular farrier scene. His process mixed oil painting and hand-colored lithograph images that were layered starting from the back, middle and foreground to craft the complex series of movements throughout the painting. A look inside this particular work reveals the complex mechanism (with the three gongs, pendulum and cylinder components immediately visible) which must run the timepiece, the cylinder musical component plus the multitude of moving elements in the painting...a truly incredible feat considering the technical prowess to create just one of these devices. Musical picture clocks...

This charming musical jewelry and sewing box is a work of sublime artistry. Almost certainly German or Austrian in origin and crafted of deep, ebonized...

This special and important Swiss gold music box is chased and engraved with a set of musical instruments surrounded by elaborate swirls of ornate foliage. Embossed with a delightful braided gold design, the two-compartment box features an exquisite oval agate key, which opens a recessed lock in the base of the box. Such a box would have been a prized possession and would have been able to fit neatly into a gentleman’s waistcoat pocket. Ingenious miniature portable devices, musical snuff boxes...

Rare early 19th century working automaton sewing box with hidden compartments for necessaries and sewing implements. Original handmade cloc...