German Singing Birds in Cage Automaton

A pair of singing birds in a brass cage by the Swiss Company Reuge, manufactured in the earlier style of Blaise Bontems of France who, in the mid 1800s perfected the clarity and quality of birdsong for musical boxes.

A fairly complicated arrangement of cams, wheels, levers and bellows in the movement enables the birds to sing to each other, one answering the others call without pause.

Unusually, both birds perform three movements i.e. they move their beaks, tails and turn their heads in time to their singing.

The birdsong is especially good, loud, clear and sweet. The birds themselves are good with their colours still bright. The mechanism is clean and in good order, the cage intact and clean.

We can snd a little video of them singing on request.