Bolviller a Paris

A very rare late 19th-century animated singing bird carriage clock by Bolviller a Paris. When activated the bird rotates side to side, pecks the ground and tweets.

The gilt-bronze tiered sectional case has molded corners, nine beveled glasses, a hinged handle and a colorful bird perched on a naturalistic floral landscape. The top one-piece section is mounted to the glazed center via a key way arrangement and is locked in place by a large screw found just behind the movement.

The finely lettered white porcelain dial has black Roman numerals for the hours, steel Breguet style hands, is framed by an engraved gilt mask and is signed in tiny lettering just below the number ‘VI’ –  ‘Bolviller A Paris’.

The eight-day time and strike clock movement is mounted above, is wound and set off the backplate, has a cylinder escapement set within sloped shoulders, the repeat button through the viewing glass, carries the maker’s stamp, ‘Bolviller A Paris’ and strikes on a bell.

The animation movement is housed in the base, is wound and activated out the side and controls the bird via wires at the back. When manually activated the bird rotates side to side, pecks the ground and tweets.

To see videos of this and our other clocks visit our Youtube channel at sundialfarm.

Included is the original hand tooled leather case, the original key and a handwritten note dated 1939 establishing part of the provenance:

Harriet Wingfield (1799-1877)   – bequeathed to daughter:

Harriet Jane Isabella Verner (1820-1907) – bequeathed to nephew:

Frederick Edward Langford Pakenham (1859-1950) – author of note – Given to:

Aline Mary Pakenham (1897-1962) to be held in trust for Frederick’s granddaughter:

Aline Margarite Constance Pakenham (b.1934) for her 17^th b-day

This clock is pictured in ‘Carriage and Other Travelling Clocks’ by Derek Robert’s, pg. 233.