Fred Zimbalist Rolls Royce Swiss Music Box

Gorgeous!!! Wood frame, Burl and Walnut, Brass ormolu, very heavy.

Artist: Alberto Vargas Title: "Not Afraid of Getting Burned" Desription: Topless blonde reclined on a beach blanket in the sand Hand Signed by Artist: Yes, lower left hand corner. Me...

Tiny dancers twirl to the melodious tunes produced by this Swiss station cylinder music box. The cylinder is joined by a drum and bells that give richness and depth to the wonderful music the box creates. Music boxes were at the height of fashion in the late 19th century and served as a status symbol for the European gentry. Switzerland was the birthplace of cylinder music boxes and home to the great majority of the most renowned manufacturers. This example, in its finely crafted English walnut case, boasts two combs, allowing the box to play in harmony for a richer, more complex song. This particular style, commonly referred to as a “station” or “showcase” box, was used to entertain guests in hotel lobbies, train stations and other similar public places, and as such would have been coin-operated. This example, however, does not accept coins. This, combined with its overall quality, complexity and beauty, indicates it was made for a private household of significant means. Today, these ingenious musical masterpieces are highly sought-after by collectors of musical automata...

A fully restored and working Swiss cylinder music box enclosed in a box of polished fruitwood featuring a central floral inlaid medallion on the hinged lid which opens up to reveal ...