c.1880 Massive French Singing Bird Clock.

Case

The massive elaborate gilt-bronze case has well-executed polychrome porcelain panels, canted corners with caryatids to all four corners and a particularly bold and well-detailed garland surmounted by two large frolicking doves draped over the fluted drum. The case, unlike any other we have seen, was designed to accommodate a large gong behind a fabric lined fretted gilt panel. The animated bird is set within a naturalistic rockwork scene backed by a painted landscape and set behind three thick beveled glasses.

Dial

The blue porcelain chapter ring dial has black Roman numerals for the hours, white cartouche plaques framed by gilt scrollwork, a sunken engine-turned center with a Brocot outside escapement and a beaded bezel with a beveled glass.

Movement

The time and strike movement is stamped ‘D 220’, has the fast/slow out the front and strikes on the large gong with a hammer actuated by a string. It activates the bird animation movement via a rod routed down the back of the case 5 minutes before each hour. The bird animation movement is housed in the base, is wound out the side and is controlled by a three-position lever routed out the bottom and to the side of the ebonized base. When manually activated the bird continually sings while moving its beak, flapping its tail feathers and rotating its head. When activated by the clock it does the same animation while singing a short section of the song every hour for an entire day.