Outstanding French Mechanical Singing Bird Cage with Four Birds, Attributed to Bontems

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20" (51 cm.) h., 13"l. A gilded metal birdcage with steepled roof and elaborate handle is resting upon a velvet-floored elaborate wooden base with carved details and gold leaf finish. Posed inside the birdcage on brass bars and a tree trunk are four feathered birds, one resting on a nest, and the three others tucked among gilt ormolu leaves and silk flowers and grapes. When wound, the birds begin a medley of fluttering, singing, turning side to side, and opening and closing beaks; the movements are made synchronically, and periodically the fluttering and singing pauses, and then resumes again. Excellent condition, functioning well. French, attributed to Bontems, circa 1860.