Lot 439

Jacques Bruguier

An exquisite singing bird automaton with winding key

Sold

The body of the automaton is made of gilt brass. All sides are elaborately decorated with a fine engine-turned and engraved pattern of small waves and baroque leaf tendrils and flowers, the top part with blue champlevé enamel and delicate white enamel bands.
When the movement is wound and the slider for the automaton is pushed to the right, the oval enamel cover - exquisitely painted with Heidegg Castle high above Lake Baldegg - opens to reveal a rotating bird rising from a gilt and pierced grille. The chirping bird flutters its wings, bobs its tail, turns its head and opens its beak. The bird’s multi-coloured feathers dazzle the onlooker with bright red, sea-blue and emerald green hues with fine iridescent highlights. The inside of the lid is decorated with light blue enamel and painted with a colourful bouquet of flowers.
The case provides a particularly beautiful, resonant sound. The back plate holds a folding compartment for the winding key – this is a rare singing bird automaton of supreme quality.

Jacques Bruguier (1801-1873) married Jacqueline, the daughter of renowned singing bird box maker Charles Abraham Bruguier, on January 13, 1853 and had his workshop at the Rue des Pâquis in Geneva. One can assume from the identical names that the two families were related, but this is not known for certain. Jacques Bruguier's parents were clockmaker Jean-Abraham Bruguier and his wife Rose Lamon and he was born in June 1801 in Geneva, which was French territory at the time - the city had just been annexed by the new French Republic. Jean-Abraham took his family to the Ardèche region of France, but Jacques later returned to Geneva. He began working as a mechanic for Charles-Abraham Bruguier and was living with him at Grand Pré by 1852; at the time his future wife Jacqueline was also working for her father, pinning music box cylinders. By the time Jacques and Jacqueline married, Jacques was already over 50 years old and Jacqueline was close to 40. Nevertheless the couple had two children, Jacques Alexandre and Abrahamine Charlotte Françoise. Jacques and Jacqueline Bruguier lived at Place de la Madeleine 166 from 1853 to 1861. Jacques Bruguier moved to 14, Rue du Cendrier in 1867. He died on October 7, 1873.
Source: "Flights of Fancy" by Sharon and Christian Bailly, Antiquorum Editions, 2001, p. 280