BONTEMS IN PARIS (attributed to) c. 1880–1890 - Lot 148

Lot n° 148
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Estimation :
6000 - 8000 EUR
BONTEMS IN PARIS (attributed to) c. 1880–1890 - Lot 148
BONTEMS IN PARIS (attributed to) c. 1880–1890 Clock with Singing Birds Set within a tree crafted of bronze and polychromatic painted metal with fabric leaves, an automaton mechanism animates six songbirds, all surmounting a chiseled and gilded bronze clock decorated with garlands, scrollwork, scrolls, and a basket of flowers. Winding-key mechanism with 6 movements. Movement signed in enamel on the Bolviller dial. (Restorations to the mechanisms, the dial enamel, and the bronze; presented under a glass globe with a slit at the back) Total height with glass dome: 88 cm; height of the clock alone: 63 cm; width: 45 cm Made in Paris, this set bears the hallmark of Bolviller’s precision clockmaking and the artistry of the Bontems automatons. Blaise Bontems (1814–1881), captivated by the beauty of birdsong, became known for his automata featuring realistic melodies, ranging from the nightingale to the canary, including the finch and the blackbird, which he patiently listened to in the forests of his childhood. After perfecting his art in the Vosges, he established his own workshop in Paris in 1849 and presented his creations at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. By the 1860s, his fame had spread internationally, with ninety percent of his automatons finding buyers abroad.
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