Not for sale
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Songbird · Hall I
Purple cardinal and canary: singing duet in a dome cageNot for sale
500 000 ₽
This bird is not for sale.
Description
A ceremonial tabletop automaton in the style of the Belle Epoque: a domed cage with a ball top and a pendant ring with a chain is mounted on a richly ornamented gilded base with acanthus relief. Inside are two birds of contrasting plumage: a purple one on the perch and a yellow “canary” at the foot, the bottom is covered with blue velvet. When wound with the side crank, the automaton comes to life: birds turn their heads, open their beaks, flutter their wings and wag their tails, and a hidden pneumatic voice module produces iridescent trills. The export mark and number on the bottom confirm the French origin and give the item a transparent collector's passport.
Mechanism passport
| Type | spring cam automaton with pneumatic voice module. |
|---|---|
| Energy | mainspring in brass drum; plant - a side crank with a wooden handle (hole in the relief belt of the base). |
| Kinematics | gear transmission → package of profile cams → wire rods with return springs (heads, beaks, wings, tails of both birds). |
| Voice | A folded bellows forces air into a whistle with a movable gate - trills with changes in pitch. |
| Bottom marking | stamp “MADE IN FRANCE” + serial number (export marking, typical for French automata at the turn of the century). |
| Height | ≈ 50 cm (comparable auction lots - 51 cm). |
| Birds | 2. |
| Condition | (indicate the fact, for example: “the mechanism is in operation, gilding with a light patina, the feathers are original”). |
