Peter Jaquet-Droz died on the 28th November 1790 aged 69 years.—
His son Henri Louis Jaquet-Droz whose health had always been delicate died in Naples, where he had gone for a cure, on the 15th November 1791 aged 39 years.—
Little is known of the life and history of other manufacturers of Singing Bird boxes, as they were artisans in a very small way of business, working quite by themselves, in villages surrounding Geneva.—
The following is all we could find about them.——
Charles Bruguier
Charles Bruguier, is better known under the name of Bruguier le Père (Bruguier the Father), was born in about 1750 and died in 1830. He had two sons: 1º Jacques Bruguier whose date of birth and death are unknown, and 2º Charles Bruguier known as Charles Abraham Bruguier or “Bruguier-the-Son” born in 1788 and dead in 1862, leaving his brother and his son who died in 1886, thus ending this family.
The three Bruguiers made very elaborate and fine bird boxes which they marked with their full name, and a number indicating date of same.
Silver gilt and enamel Bird Box signed “Charles Bruguier, Rue des Pâquis 5, Genève”
(Charles Bruguier-the-Son’s own handwriting)
Collection Tiffany & Co., New York