Automaton “Singing Bird in a Bouquet” on a porcelain flowerpot with lion masks-handlesNot for sale

The spectacular automaton “plant pot” by Blaise Bontem combines the picturesqueness of porcelain, the luxury of a silk bouquet and the virtuosity of the mechanics of a singing bird. The cylindrical body of porcelain of a delicate turquoise-celadonna tone is painted with polychrome floral garlands - roses, asters, cornflowers and small wildflowers - with images of birds; The upper and lower edges are decorated with ebonized belts with gilded edgings. On the front side there is a gilded lion mask with a movable ring-handle on a black figured reserve; next to it is the mechanism's winding hole.
The top of the body is crowned with a sculptural “hill” of dark greenery, from which grows a lush bouquet of silk flowers: pink and scarlet roses, white peonies, purple violets and hydrangeas, blue “sweet peas” among large foliage. Above the bouquet, at the top of the branch, is a mechanical singing bird with plumage made of natural feathers of the brightest iridescent color: an emerald green “cap”, a turquoise blue chest, dark wings with yellow mirrors and a long dark tail. The composition is enlivened by a butterfly with painted wings and a fluttering “hummingbird” among the flowers.
When the spring mechanism is activated, the bird sings - turns its head, opens its beak, flaps its tail and wings - and the butterfly and hummingbird flutter among the silk roses, creating the illusion of a living garden. The sound is reproduced by a bellows mechanism with a reed whistle, famous for the realistic singing of Bontem's products.
Attribution and analogue
A close analog sold - "Blaise Bontems, Extremely Fine & Rare Automaton Double Singing Bird Music Box" in a porcelain jardiniere with the painting "birds, butterflies and flowers", 1870-1880, height 50.8 cm (1stdibs, id‑f_14879822, list price $25,000) - confirms the type, dating and authorship a real monument.
Condition
Porcelain is in excellent condition, the painting is bright, without chips; ebonized belts and gilded bronze - with a light patina. Silk bouquet - with soft fading and dustiness characteristic of age; The bird's plumage retains a rich iridescence, with natural ruffled feathers. The mechanism is complete and functioning.