Double automaton "Singing Birds" in a cylindrical cage with a crank plant and "fern" silk floraNot for sale

The automaton is made in the form of a cylindrical domed cage made of gilded brass rods - smooth and twisted, with a “rope” profile, reinforced with embossed decorative belts. The dome is completed with a polished brass ball with a movable ring-handle, a signature feature of Bontems products. The round pedestal is decorated with a relief repoussed frieze of acanthus shoots and rocaille cartouches.
A special feature of the item is the crank factory: a steel handle with a turned wooden handle is inserted into the socket on the side surface of the pedestal, indicating a reinforced spring motor designed for two voices and active plasticity of birds.
The bottom of the cage is covered with terracotta-colored fabric; in the center there is a brass crossbar on a stand, entwined with a silk branch with thin “fern” leaves. The composition is inhabited by two mechanical singing birds with plumage made of natural feathers - finches with a pink-red chest: on the crossbar - a bird with a pink-purple “shirtfront”, grayish-brown back plumage and a dark head with light streaks; at the bottom is a bird of cinnabar-red color with dark wings, depicted with its beak open in singing.
When starting, the birds “sing” in turns: they turn, flap their wings and tails, open their beaks; the sound is produced by a cam-controlled bellows mechanism hidden in the pedestal.
Attribution and tagging
No marks were identified. The attribution of the Bontems workshop is established by a combination of features: a spherical completion with a ring, a combination of smooth and twisted rods, a chased frieze of a round pedestal and the landing of birds on the crossbar with silk flora - everything corresponds to the signature samples of the workshop, including a pair of identical “crank” automata of the collection.
Condition
The item is in good preservation, with traces of noble aging:
Cage and pedestal: bright, even gilding; rods without deformations; repoussé is read clearly.
Birds: plumage preserved, spectacular colors (pink and cinnabar breast); slight ruffles and local abrasions of the pen; eyes and beaks are intact.
Floral design and bottom fabric: silk “fern” frond preserved, with minor fading; bottom fabric with scuffs and signs of time.
Complete set: there is a crank handle with a wooden handle.