A Few Remarks Concerning Makers of Singing Bird Boxes of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
Tiffany and C o . New York
The invention of these marvellous pieces of mechanism dates from about the middle of the eighteenth century.
When they first appeared they were so highly praised that they were immediately bought by the principal Courts of Europe, and it is only later, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, that the very high class of people could acquire the rare specimen that came now and then on the market.—
The characteristic of the antique singing bird snuff boxes, is that the bird, when singing and moving its wings, opens its beak, when turning the head. It is unfortunate to say, that modern watchmakers have not acquired the skilfulness of their predecessors, and that in modern boxes this triple movement can no more be obtained. This is, as a matter of fact, one of the first means of distinguishing an antique bird box, from a modern one.—
Singing Bird Box Signed “Jaquet-Droz and Leschot London” (from an old engraving) Actually in the collection of M r Luis Dubois-Favre Le Loele, Switzerland.
The discovery of these small curious pieces of mechanism is due to a Swiss watchmaker whose name is
This wonderful artist was born at La Chaux de Fonds (Switzerland) on the 28 th of July 1721. His parents, rich peasants, seeing the great dispositions of their Child for Study, had projected to make a clergyman of him, and consequently sent him to study theology at Neuchâtel.
During his holidays, which he used to spend at one of his sisters, who, having abandoned the old industry of this city, which was lacemaking, married a watchmaker, the young Peter was deeply interested in all mechanics, and spent all his time working at his sister’s workshop. He soon became so industrious that everybody induced him to leave Theology and become a watchmaker.
His improvement astonished even the oldest and very best workmen, and he soon became their master.