A rare musical box and singing bird necessaire by Rochat,

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THE PROPERTY OF THE HEIRS OF THE LATE MRS ANTHONY ANSON

Details

A rare musical box and singing bird necessaire by Rochat,
No. 135, the fusee singing bird mechanism playing four songs in 1-2-3-4- sequence, with moving beak, head, wings, tail and perch, coloured plumage, floriate enamel cover with gilt interior, winding arbor on top and FR 135 stamp on baseplate, the musical box with three-tooth sectional chevron comb playing two airs, each selected by right or left-hand stop/start knob, wound from below, in shell-form gilt metal case with engraved mother-of-pearl lid set with turquoises, the sides with turquoises and mother-of-pearl cameos (the centre cameo forming a lid release), moulded and chased with swags and festoons, on winged paw feet -- 7 1/8in. (18cm.) wide, the cylinder 5in. (12.5cm.), circa 1810, with fitted, red plush-lined travelling case covered in green tooled leather with a P in a cartouche on the lid

Provenance

Given by the Hon. John Walpole, British Consul General in Santiago, to Amelia, wife of James Macleay (1811-92), his Secretary, on the latter's leaving for a post in Cape Town in 1842. Walpole was descended from the family of Sir Robert Walpole on both his father's and his mother's side.
Mrs Macleay gave the box to her daughter-in-law, Mabel (née Anderson), from whom it passed to her daughter Lina (1868-1935), whose husband, Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot,Bt, commanded the First Cruiser Squadron at the battle of Jutland, at which he died along with his entire crew in HMS Defence. On Lady Arbuthnot's death, the musical box passed to her only daughter, Rosalind (Mrs Anthony Anson, 1906-85), who lent it to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1968, where it remained until 2004.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

The singing bird movement is contained in a tinplate box, very similar to those often housing musical snuff-box movements, which is screwed to a wooden baseboard also supporting the musical movement. The serial number, 135, is repeated, in ink, on this baseboard. It is also stamped on a brass framework inside the lid of the tinplate box. This supports a lever mechanism by which the on-off lever (projecting through the necessaire tray at front left) is connected to the stop and start levers, unusally positioned at the back right of the top plate of the movement.
The necessaire tray has its full set of gold, steel and turquoise implements, comprising bodkin, needle case, pillbox, scent bottle, thimble, winder, penknife, pencil, two pairs of scissors, vinaigrette and reel. The original brass and steel winding key for the bird also survives in its compartment, but is damaged. Several of the gold components have the hallmark of Charles Louis Déserre (Paris, 1809 - 1819).
The lid is lined with a mirror which has a cut-out at the top edge, to clear the stop/start lever. This cut-out was edged with a piece of plaited silk (present but loose), and a balancing piece appears formerly to have been attached to the glass right of centre.
The mother-of-pearl covering has some slight cracks, and there is some chipping to the edges of some of the cameos.
A French clock key (for winding the musical movement) has an attached label with Lady Arbuthnot's name and, on the reverse, probably in her hand, a note Presented to my grandmother Mrs James Macleay by the Hon. John Walpole Minister in Chile at Valparaiso 1833-41.

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