Lot 339

Bontems

Der Hochzeitstanz / The Wedding Dance

A splendid, extremely rare figure automaton with two dancing figures and fantastically playing musical movement that plays six melodies, crowned by a clock with half-hour/hour strike

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The magnificent figural automaton made by the Bontems company in the mid-19th century is an ornate mechanical masterpiece in form of an elaborately designed canopy housing a clock and showing a bride and groom. The canopy is magnificently decorated, with gilt cast bronze neo-baroque style ornaments, grille and pelmet. Inside are two moving figures, the bride and groom under a second canopy of red velvet, set in motion by a complex mechanism while music plays and the time is displayed on a small clock. The hallmarked, richly decorated base adds the necessary pomp and radiance to the arrangement. Neo-baroque style ornaments alternate with punched laurel vines and musical instruments.
Pewter appliqués in the form of military equipment, vases and pagoda-shaped column capitals embellish the canopy architecture. At the very top sits the small clock, splendidly set off with floral tendrils. The automaton, musical mechanism and tune selection are operated by two winding mechanisms and levers in the side of the base; the mechanism is an impressive example of the fine craftsmanship and technical skill achieved in the creation of mechanical automatons in the 19th century. Today, the automaton is a rare and valuable collector's item, prized by art collectors around the world.

Clockmaker Blaise Bontems (1814-1893) was a noted Parisian specialist in the manufacture of automaton singing birds and the first of a dynasty of automaton manufacturers, which included his son Charles Jules and his grandson Lucien. A Bontems cousin, Alfred, founded his own firm. The era ended when Lucien Bontems died in 1956 and the firm was then purchased by Reuge of St. Croix in Switzerland.
The masterpieces by Bontems were celebrated for the sweet authenticity of the bird song and of course for the excellent craftsmanship of the mechanics. The Bontems family often showed their superb creations at international exhibitions and were regularly awarded prizes. In 1862 the company had many international customers and 90% of their products would be sold outside France. Bontems won 52 medals and many patents – among the medals was one awarded by Napoleon III and one presented by Leopold II of Belgium.
For greater detail on the house Bontems, see "Flights of Fancy - Mechanical Singing Birds" by Sharon and Christian Bailly, pp. 305-347, which also has several illustrations of their work.