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Exotic duo in an arched cage on a pedestal with garlandsSold
This bird has been sold and will soon leave the hall.
Description
An elegant model from the Swiss manufactory Reuge: a rectangular cage with an arched dome, twisted corner posts and a ball finial with a hanging ring, mounted on a pedestal decorated with an applied flower garland with a rosette and a chased leaf belt. On a perch entwined with silken leaves with berries is a bird of exotic appearance with pink-red scaly plumage and a yellow head; at the foot is a second, gray bird. When the mechanism is wound, both come to life and “sing” - the bellows whistle produces iridescent trills, and the movements of the heads, wings and tails are set by cam kinematics. A bright, ceremonial example of the Swiss school of automata of the 20th century.
Mechanism passport
| Manufacturer | Reuge, Sainte-Croix, Switzerland (stamp on the bottom). |
|---|---|
| Type | spring cam automaton with pneumatic voice module (bellows + whistle with gate). |
| Winding | from below, with a key (the key is not shown in the photo; the hole is in the bottom). |
| Sound | round sound window with a mesh grille at the bottom. |
| Controls | mode lever on the bottom with engraved positions STOP / continuous singing (notes) / INTER (intermittent start). |
| Kinematics | A package of cams controls the heads, beaks, wings and tails of both birds through wire rods. |
| Supports | four turned legs with screw fastening. |
| Height | ≈ 40–45 cm. Birds: 2. |
