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Singing Bird Watch
Watchmaker: Bassereau, Jean Hillaire
Cylinder singing bird watch in gold and enamel case.
MOVEMENT: Full plate movement engraved 'HILRE. BASSEREAU N. 532 INT ET FEC. T'. Top plate shaped to accomodate bellows and pipe. Polished steel lever work. Central cylindrical box with painted polychrome enamel lid, depicting a bird on a branch against a background of a moor with mountains behind. Lid opens to reveal a gilt plate engraved with stems and flowers, with opening to take the bird.
The bird (A), which pivots up and rotates when the lid is opened, has a brass body covered with feathers, and has articulated beak and wings.
Pillar plate with three gilt, cylindrical pillars and one rectangular pillar of blued steel. Polished steel balance cock, open table, polished steel coquette over polished steel regulator. Gold balance. Polished steel fusee set-up ratchet (for bird song) and winding-up wheels. Polished steel time winding click. Bar for time. Second and third wheels, second wheel recessed. Gilt brass cock for song 'balance' fly, fly in hole plate. Plate edge engraved. Applied time dial at 6 o'clock. Going barrel, and small time train. Ruby cylinder escapement, steel escape. wheel. Time train planted anti-clockwise. Song train with fusee and chain, stack of four cams driven by idler, two cam followers pumped, after one cam revolution, by cam above plate. One cam follower controls pipe length (note) and raises and lowers bird, other follower controls air to whistle, and controls bird's wings and beak. Train speed controlled by endless-screw and 'balance' fly. Song train planted anti-clockwise.
DIAL: Gold. Outer dotted minute ring, vertical applied silver Arabic chapters set with diamonds, inner ring of applied diamonds, centre matted.
HANDS: Blued steel, Breguet type.
CASE: Gold and enamel. Cylindrical body, outside having ring of diamond shapes, enamelled in blue with gold design, and circles, enamelled in black with gold designs. Hinged back cover with outer ring of diamond shapes, decorated with gold and black enamel, a circle of blue enamel stars then a ring of black enamel with gold decoration around bird plaque. Front cover as back, but small time dial at 6 o'clock with ring of black enamel, with gold decoration. Plain gold pendant, wasted stem, round top, with fixed push piece, oval bow with ball ends. Maker's mark 'JS' or 'IS' with a pellet above and below within a lozenge. Assay mark for a second standard gold 1798-1809. Exercise mark for medium-sized gold and silver 1798-1809. An illegible mark with a 2 on the right side. Impressed mark '150'. Dealer's scratch mark '55041'.
Bow of later date, after 1821. Stamped with the head of a horned cow, a dog's head looking to the right, and a ram's head looking to the left.
KEYS: Two (B & C)
History note: Alexander H.B. Beresford Hope to whom given by his mother, Lady Beresford Hope in 1841, the year he came of age; by descent to the donor
Given by Miss Mildred Beresford Hope
Height: 73 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Width: 61.75 mm
Method of acquisition: Given (1948) by Hope, Mildred Beresford
18th Century, Late-19th Century, Early#
Circa
1798
CE
-
1809
CE
Movement
composed of
gilt brass
gilt
Movement, Case
composed of
enamel
Movement, Dial, Case
composed of
gold
Dial
composed of
silver
Movement, Hands
composed of
steel
Case, Dial Glass
composed of
glass
Inscription present: the RE is raised and the T at the end of INT and FECT
Inscription present: JS or IS with a pellet above and below in a lozenge
Accession number: M.7 & A-C-1948
Primary reference Number: 167270
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Singing Bird Watch" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/167270 Accessed: 2024-12-18 18:49:49
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/167270
|title=Singing Bird Watch
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-18 18:49:49|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-167270
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<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa37/m_7_20_26_20A_C_1948_1_201507_mfj22_dc2.jpg"
alt="Singing Bird Watch"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Singing Bird Watch</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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