French Sevres Porcelain Jardiniere with Two Singing Birds and a Butterfly by Bontems

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19" (48 cm.) The gold-rimmed Sevres porcelain jardiniere, which is exquisitely hand-painted with branches of flowers and two colorful winged birds, is resting upon an ebony wooden base with tiny claw feet, and is filled with a luxurious arrangement of colorful silk flowers, berries, and leaves. Perched atop the arrangement is a feathered blue bird, while a smaller bird perches below, and a butterfly is hidden in the leaves. When wound, the smaller bird begins to chirp while alternately fluttering its side wings and then tail feathers, and moving side to side. The larger bird remains silent, but the smaller bird persists, and eventually the larger bird begins to respond, at first with a delicate chirp, then a light flutter of tail feathers, then eventually chirping and turning its head side to side. Meanwhile a butterfly, hidden in the leaves, flutters back and forth. Condition: generally excellent, mechanism functions well. Comments: Bontems, Paris, 1880. Value Points: superb example of Bontems' felicitous presentation of most realistic nature sounds and movements within luxurious French porcelain work.