FRÈRES ROCHAT & RÉMOND, LAMY, MERCIER & CO., GENÈVE | A MAGNIFICENT AND EXCEPTIONALLY RARE MINIATURE GOLD, ENAMEL AND DIAMOND-SET HOUR STRIKING MUSICAL DOUBLE SINGING BIRD CAGE WITH TIMEPIECECIRCA 1815

• Movements: Time - gilded full plate, two train, cylinder escapement, plain brass balance, fusee and chain, nest of two bells striking on the hour, the bells each scratch signed Scherer Frères • Bird - the mechanism for the bird with one pair of bellows and two pistons, 16 operating cams, 8 for controlling the song and 8 for regulating the whistle, released on the hour by the clock train or on demand via a lever to the case, the birds moving and singing alternately, one moving its wings, tail, head and beak, the other with similar movements and additionally performing a pecking motion, musical barrel with 11 tines to the comb, the base scratch signed to the underside: "Fait à Genève chez Remond Lamy Mercier & Co., Fabricants de Bijouterie par Louis St****", the backplate for the singing bird mechanism stamped twice with maker's mark F.R. for Frères Rochat• Dial: white enamel, Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute ring• Case: gold cage, octagonal base raised on 4 paw-form feet, the base with pearl-set border, blue guilloché enamel panels to each corner surrounded by opaque white enamel borders, the sides with polychrome enamel painted panels depicting summer flowers against a green background, the dial set within a gold panel surrounded by a diamond-set bezel and flanked by military trophies, the panel sliding to reveal apertures for winding, hand-setting and regulation, the cage of alternating polished gold and wire-wound bars and hinged door supported by four columns of striated blue champlevé enamel with Corinthian gold capitals and bases of simulated marble ground of black and white enamel, the capitals supporting pearl-set urns each within niches set with turquoises, the canopy of decorative gold scrolling wire work with pearl-set ribbed supports, ball finial and ring suspension• Accompaniments: fitted mahogany case and a key

Christie's Geneva, 11 November 1987, lot 235

Bailly, S., Bailly, C. Flights of Fancy, Frontispiece p. 238, 2001 

Movement: The movement for the clock is not running. The music plays. The birds move side to side but the wings do not flap. The levers to activate the automaton and the music are not functioning. movement with repairer's mark "Toomas 1987" Dial: There is a small mark on the number XI. Scratches to the glass. Case: Framework of the cage leaning to the one side. Some small areas of tarnishing to the gold. A little loss of the blue enamel directly below the finial. Some slight discoloration to the turquoise pearls. Area of loss to the enamel to the faux marble enamel of the bottom back pillar and scratch to the black enamel. Enamel panels with floral decoration in good condition. Wooden case: indentation to the door. Significant wear to the interior velvet.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping."

The horloger David Rochat (1746-1812) of Le Brassus in the vallée du Joux worked at the end of the 18^th century with his three sons Jacques François Elisée (1771-1836), David Henri Frédéric (1774-1848) and Henri Samuel (1777-1854), supplying the firm of Jaquet-Droz & Leschot with singing bird parts and also spending some time at Frédéric Leschot’s workshop in Geneva. The brothers then set up an independent business in Geneva and subsequently with other members of the extended family to produce singing bird movements of the highest quality. As with Leschot, their casemaker of choice was Jean-George Rémond (Hanau 1752- Hanau 1830) who during his long career in Geneva registered his last firm, Rémond, Lamy, Mercier & Co., in 1811. For further information about Rémond, see Haydn Williams ed., Enamels of the World - The Khalili Collections, London, 2009, pp. 295-301. The present lot is illustrated in Bailly, S. & Bailly, C., Flights of Fancy, p. 238, however, it is incorrectly identified as part of the collection of Musée d'horlogerie, Chateau des Monts, Le Locle, rather than the present private collection. 

For a similar example, see Friess, P., Patek Philippe Museum, the Emergence of the Portable Watch, Vol.IV, p. 117.