27" A glass-domed oval ebony-finished wooden base with porcelain-face clock that chimes on the half-hour and hour has an elaborate animated scene atop, consisting of a gnarled tree trunk with moss and stones arising from a small pond with a connecting "waterfall", green tree leaves and red blossoms and buds. Two tiny frogs and a long-billed bird are in the foreground and are not animated. There are four animated colorful feathered birds, an animated painted tin butterfly and a working waterfall.
Movements: The bird at the peak flutters its wings, the bird in the middle flits from branch to branch, turning from side to side, third bird bends up and down drinking from the pond, and the fourth bird opens and closes its beak, turns its head from side to side, and independently flits its tail. The butterfly flutters its wings, and the waterfall works. The bird song includes both chirping and trilling.
Historical Notes: The Arbuste a Oiseaux Chanteurs appears in the book Les Automates by Eliane Maingot. The presentation is elaborate and multi-faceted both in its aesthetic and in its movement and song. Historical records of the 1893 Columbian World's Fair, at which Bontems exhibited, indicate that his firm created only 400 pieces each year. Each was unique. Circa 1890.