Single automaton "Singing Bird - Black-headed Weaver" in a domed cage with hanging garlands on a painted pedestalNot for sale

The plumage of the automaton is made of natural feathers using taxidermy techniques and reproduces the male black-headed weaver bird (genus Ploceus): a black “mask-cap” covering the head and throat, an olive-yellow body with dark mottled along the back and wings, lighter towards the abdomen, and a powerful conical beak, characteristic of finches and weaver birds. The bird is depicted in a singing pose with its beak open; glass eyes add liveliness to the image.
The automaton is made in the form of a rectangular domed cage made of brass rods with twisted corner posts; The finish is a polished brass ball with a movable ring-handle, a signature detail of Bontems products. The corners of the cage are decorated with chased patinated overlays with foliage patterns. A special feature of the decor is hanging brass garlands of beads, stretched in festoons from the corners to the center and complemented by chased tassels and “acorn” pendants - a rare and spectacular decoration that gives the cage the character of a festive “gazebo”.
Inside the cage, on a brass crossbar entwined with a garland of ivy with green leaves and orange flowers, there is a mechanical singing bird. The bottom of the cage is covered with gray patterned fabric.
The pedestal is wooden, cream-tinted and hand-painted: on the front side there is a garland of roses and buds with green foliage, along the lower molding there is a flower border with pink buds; supports - turned brass “button” legs.
The spring is wound with a steel key with an oval head through a hole on the side of the pedestal. On the bottom plate there is a hammer-type start-stop lever and a sound window with a mesh through which the whistle of the bellows mechanism comes out. When launched, the bird sings: turns, flaps its wings and tail, opens its beak; the mechanism works properly.
Historical background
The Bontems workshop is a leading Parisian firm in the field of singing bird automatons, founded by Blaise Bontems (1814–1893) and continued by his descendants; The workshop's products were famous for the realistic “singing” and the richness of the design of the cells. Painted pedestals and hanging garlands are found in the workshop's one-piece items and increase the rarity of the item.
Condition
The machine is in working order, with natural signs of age:
Check and finish: smooth rods with uniform patina; garlands, tassels and pendants are completely preserved.
Pedestal: the painting is preserved, with abrasions and slight wear of the tinting layer; On the bottom board there are age-related wood cracks that do not affect functionality.
Bird: the plumage is preserved, the specific color is clearly readable; slight ruffle of the pen; the eye and beak are intact.
Floristry: Ivy leaves and flowers preserved with minor fading.
Complete set: a steel winding key with an oval head is included.
Mechanism: serviceable; Bird singing and animation are functional.