Double automaton “Singing Birds” in a “pavilion” cage with a diorama and a three-position singing regulatorSold

An automaton of rare architecture: “pavilion” cells with a gable roof and triangular pediments decorated with end-to-end volutes are found in the Bontem building much less often than domed and cylindrical ones. The silver bars of the cage form a strict vertical rhythm, the pediment fields are decorated with openwork curls; on the side there is a hinged lattice door.
The cage is mounted on a gilded pedestal with a repoussed garland of roses on the front edge and an ornamental border along the lower edge. Inside there is a naturalistic diorama: a rocky relief with moss and herbs, a tree trunk with foliage and a pond with a glass surface, in the depths of which a scarlet “inhabitant” can be read. The composition is inhabited by two mechanical singing birds: one at the top of the trunk, with elongated tail filaments (bird of paradise type), the second among the coastal vegetation.
Of particular value is the three-position singing control, documented by a handwritten label on the bottom plate: “Silence / Chant continu / Intermittence” (silence / continuous singing / intermittent singing). The switch allows you to select the operating mode of the machine - from complete silence to continuous or intermittent “duet”. The mechanism is large, with a multi-clad bellows and a cam shaft, designed for the complex plasticity of two birds.
Marking
Purple ink stamp on wood: "BONTEMS / 72, Rue de Cléry, PARIS" - workshop address, corresponding to the period around 1870 (the same address is carried by the company label with the royal warrant on the previous collection position).
Handwritten sector mode label: "Silence / Chant continuation / Intermittence".
Condition
An item of “found” preservation requires conservation and delicate restoration:
Birds and flora: plumage and foliage are very faded and dusty, the original colors are only fragmentarily visible; tail threads of the upper bird with losses.
Diorama: the relief and the “pond” are stable, with dust and traces of time.
Cage and pedestal: silvering of rods with patina and darkening; gilding of the pedestal with wear, repoussé preserved.
Mechanism: complete, including bellows and regulation system; requires professional prevention.