Absolutely fascinating! I am amazed at the complexity and if it was a restoration it was extremely well done! Do we know anything about it? Where was it made? When?
When an old man dies a library burns to the ground. (Old African proverb)
In 2016, after twelve months of work, Parmigiani Fleurier has brought back to life a unique object from the Sandoz Family Collection: the double-barrel pistol and its songbird.
This rare automaton was conceived and created, in all likelihood circa 1815, by the famous Frères Rochat with a design based on a cavalry pistol. When the hammer is cocked, pulling the trigger releases a hummingbird instead of the firearm's traditional sight. The bird performs a pirouette, opens its beak, turns its head, flaps its tail and wings, all of this while singing a lively tune, before disappearing as surprisingly as it appeared.
Sadly, when it arrived in the hands of Parmigiani Fleurier’s restorers, this beautiful automaton was damaged in many respects. The passing of time had taken its toll on the mechanism and over the decades, no less than six interventions had been carried-out on the artifact, most of which were rash, faulty and had ended up distorting the piece as a whole.
Parmigiani Fleurier’s restorers had to start from scratch, unraveling the mysteries of the mechanism one by one. They refurbished every single part of the object, from the gear wheels to the enamel and bird’s feathers. And today, after this twelve-month journey, the masterpiece has been restored to its former glory.
The Sandoz Family probably refers to the Sandoz Foundation:\
The foundation was created by sculptor Édouard-Marcel Sandoz, son of Édouard Constant Sandoz, founder in 1866 of the Basel-based company Sandoz, now Novartis.[1] Its purpose is to engage in charitable activities in various fields of education and training, higher education and research, as well as in cultural and social activities.[2][3]
The foundation operates mainly in Switzerland in several fields, including support and encouragement of artistic culture with the Fondation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz (FEMS), and economically in the watchmaking sector with the support of Parmigiani Fleurier and Vaucher Manufacture in Fleurier,[1] as well as in the hotel business with six hotels: one in Neuchâtel, one in Zermatt and four in Lausanne, including the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, the Lausanne Palace and the Château d'Ouchy.[4]
There's a Royal Crown on the pistol which makes one wonder - Napoleon?
If you look up Frères Rochat on the internet . .this Swiss watchmaker was specialist in making singing bird boxes.
With over three centuries of watchmaking experience, Freres Rochat is one of the world’s most reputable Swiss companies. Freres Rochat became particularly famous during the 19th century, when its experts managed to create an exceptional automaton singing bird that impressed with great complexity and elegance.
Amazing contraption, however limited in it's usefulness. I cannot imagine the amount of money spent on building such, only to briefly entertain French royalty.
In a more practical sense, the bird resembles a painted bunting much more so than a hummingbird, in the opinion of this peasant.
Watch makers/toy makers competed amongst themselves to achieve the maximum number of complications. Automaton’s reached their zenith before the Great War.
What a great piece of history. Thanks for sharing it.
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