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RARE BIRDCAGE CLOCK WITH MUSIC BOX AND AUTOMATON

Lot 1232 - Decorative Arts - Thursday, 21. September 2023, 10.00 Uhr

Such birdcage automatons were often created as a collaboration of various specialized watchmakers and automaton makers from Neuchâtel and the Jura. They are witnesses of great skill and enjoyed great popularity in the period between 1780 and 1840. Among the most important watchmaking dynasties are the Robert, Jaquet-Droz, Frédéric Leschot, Maillardet, Fochat and Bruguier families. Others, such as François Nicole and Charles-Frédéric Nardin, specialized in the making of music boxes. The luxury objects resulting from this collaboration were often sold to the European aristocracy as well as to China, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire through Geneva-based makers and sellers, such as Jean-François Bautte (1772-1837), who signed the clock on offer. The founding of Bautte & Moynier dates back to 1791, when case maker Jean-François Bautte joined forces with watchmaker Dauphin Moulinié. The company was expanded in 1804 when watchmaker Jean-Gabriel Moynier joined, and thereafter operated as Moulinié, Bautte & Moynier, fabrique d'horlogerie. The luxury company employed about 60 workers and produced watches as well as jewelry of the highest quality. Bautte became one of the most important watch dealers in Geneva. After the departure of Moulinié around 1824, the name was changed to Bautte & Moynier.

Furniture & Decoration

Koller’s history has been closely linked to decorative arts since 1958. Furniture, silver, porcelain and sculpture are among our oldest core competencies, and many highly significant objects have been sold at Koller Auctions over the decades.

A bureau plat by André-Charles Boulle, cabinetmaker to the French king – auctioned for 3 million Swiss francs – is today regarded as the standard by which other objects by this highly important ébéniste are measured.

The density and quality of the antique furnishings, decorative arts and collectors’ items on offer twice annually at Koller is practically unique in Europe. Represented are works by ébénistes such as Charles Cressent, Mathäus Funk, Abraham Roentgen, André-Charles Boulle, Bernard van Risen Burgh, Léonard Boudin, Johann Friedrich Spindler, Charles Topino and Adam Weisweiler. Koller has also built a very strong reputation as one of the leading European auction houses for antique clocks, with works by famous clockmakers such as Berthoud, Deverberie, Breguet, Le Roy, Lepine and Jaquet-Droz.

Stephan Koller, our specialist and head of the Fine Furniture department, will be pleased to value your objects in view of a possible sale at auction.

Our Decorative Arts auctions take place in March and September. We accept consignments until mid-January for the March auctions and until late July for the September auctions.



Valuations / Consignments

If you wish to consign to one of our auctions, we will value your artworks free of charge. Please send us photos if possible, or call us. We will arrange an appointment to view your property at your home or in one of our offices in Zurich, Geneva, Florence, Munich or Düsseldorf. You will then receive our auction estimates so that you can make your decision.

How to sell at auction
Contact us
Contact your local representative


Contact

Stephan Koller

skoller@kollerauctions.com
+41 44 445 63 41

Giordana Schmid

schmid@kollerauctions.com
+41 44 445 63 45

Flavio de Corso

decorso@kollerauctions.com
+41 44 445 63 46


Representatives

Koller Geneva

Cyril Himmer
geneva@kollerauctions.com
+41 22 311 03 85

Koller Munich

Fiona Seidler
muenchen@kollerauctions.com
+49 89 22 802 766

Koller Düsseldorf

Ulrike Gruben
duesseldorf@kollerauctions.com
+49 211 30 14 36 38

Koller Italy

Lapo Bacarelli
italia@kollerauctions.com
+39 366 994 1836

Koller China

Jing Li
beijing@kollerauctions.com
+86 135 2039 8057

Top results from past sales

SELECTED RESULTS Furniture

MUMMY PORTRAIT OF A LADY

Hawara, Egypt, Trajan Period, beginning of the 2nd century A.D.
Wooden panel, polychrome painted using the encaustic technique and mounted on a later wooden panel. Portrait of a distinguished young lady facing right. Clearly outlined facial features. The hair is coiled in the front and coiffed into a chignon at the top, which is held in place by a hairpin. Her clothing features reddish and brown tones. She is wearing pearl-, gold- and emerald jewelry. In a later frame.
Inner dimensions 38 × 23.5 cm.

CHF 450 000 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

A206 / 1011
Details  Image
MUMMY PORTRAIT OF A LADY
MUMMY PORTRAIT OF A LADY

CHF 450 000

STANDING CROSS WITH FINE MICRO-CARVING

Probably Greek, probably 17th/18th century.
Wood, carved with numerous scenes from the Life of Christ. Tower-shaped base. The cross crowned by a pelican.
H 46 cm.

CHF 75 000 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

A206 / 1062
Details  Image
STANDING CROSS WITH FINE MICRO-CARVING
STANDING CROSS WITH FINE MICRO-CARVING

CHF 75 000

PAIR OF HALF-HEIGHT CABINETS

Régence style, France, in part using older elements.
Rosewood in veneer. Trapezoidal, curved body on a cut-out frame and hoofed feet. Front with distinctive curved double doors. Opulent, gilt bronze decoration in the form of leaf friezes, shells and ornamental rods. The front decorated with female masks, the sides with rosettes and laurel wreaths decorated with mesh. The corners decorated with broad, scroll-like profiled bars with rosettes, acanthus leaf scrolls, hoofed feet and satyr faces. Red/grey marble top with shaped edge. 1 commode back with old French shipping label. 2 keys.
143.5 × 59.5 × 95.5 cm or 145 × 58.5 × 95 cm.

CHF 30 000 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

A206 / 1080*
Details  Image
PAIR OF HALF-HEIGHT CABINETS
PAIR OF HALF-HEIGHT CABINETS

CHF 30 000

FINE AND RARE GAMES BOX FOR CHESS AND TRICTRAC WITH INLAYS IN RELIEF

Free imperial city of Eger (today's Czech Republic), mid-17th century. Probably by the workshop of Samuel Eck (1604-1664).
Pine wood, walnut, burlwood and other in part tinted domestic hardwoods, carved, punched and in part inlaid in relief. Square, hinged case, the side walls carved with flame moldings. The lid with a reserve surrounded by flame moldings, and inlaid with a multi-figure depiction in front of a mountainous landscape with a fortified city, Abigail asking King David for forgiveness (1. Book of Samuel 25:1-43). The edge of the lid is decorated with flowers in relief. The back with a corresponding frame, the center with a chessboard, inlaid with flowers and fruit motifs. Inside, the lids inlaid with a trictrac playing field in the form of obelisks with standards and dolphins on spheres. Gilt metal clasp and hinges, finely engraved with laurel wreaths and meandering friezes.
52.5 × 52.5 cm.

CHF 37 500 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

A206 / 1128
Details  Image
FINE AND RARE GAMES BOX FOR CHESS AND TRICTRAC WITH INLAYS IN RELIEF
FINE AND RARE GAMES BOX FOR CHESS AND TRICTRAC WITH INLAYS IN RELIEF

CHF 37 500

SET OF CHESSMEN BY MAX ERNST (1891-1976)

Design in 1966, made by goldsmith François Hugo 1973. signed, stamped and numbered 4/6.
Gold 23 carat or silver 990 hammered and chased. Total 920 gr. gold; 740 gr. silver. Proof mark Marseille. In two separate walnut boxes with inlaid and engraved inscription and maker's marks.
H king 12 cm, pawn 6.5 cm.

CHF 118 750 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

A206 / 1157
Details  Image
SET OF CHESSMEN BY MAX ERNST (1891-1976)
SET OF CHESSMEN BY MAX ERNST (1891-1976)

CHF 118 750

MANTEL CLOCK "À LA BACCHANTE ALLONGÉE"

Empire, Paris, ca. 1815. The dial signed Mesnil à Paris. The bronze probably after a model by Pierre-Philippe Thomire.
Dark patinated bronze, in part gilt. Bacchante reclining on a récamiere. Lush, bacchanalian decoration in the form of panthers, billy goats, panpipes, a tambourine, pitchers, grapes, vines, etc.. On a stepped "Vert de Mer" marble base. White enamel dial. Parisian movement with half hour strike on bell. Movement needs to be checked. 1 key.
51 × 18.5 × 52 cm.

CHF 40 000 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

A206 / 1230
Details  Image
MANTEL CLOCK "À LA BACCHANTE ALLONGÉE"
MANTEL CLOCK "À LA BACCHANTE ALLONGÉE"

CHF 40 000

ASTRONOMICAL TABLE CLOCK WITH SECONDS

Restauration, Paris circa 1820. The dial signed Hri Motel Hr de la Marine (Jean-François Henri Motel, from 1823 Horloger de la Marine).
Mahogany and blackened wood. Rectangular case, glazed on all sides, on a slightly wider base and brass feet. White enamel dial and gilt bezel. Fine blued hands. Brass armillary sphere, in part silver-plated and finely engraved with pole heights, longitudes of the celestial bodies, months and signs of the zodiac. The globe moves around the sun and is itself circled by the moon. Inscribed on a plaque: Sphère adoptée par le conseil Royal de l'instruction publique de France pour l'enseignement. Movement with scissor escapement and half-hour strike on bell. Compensating pendulum.
25.5 × 18 × 74.5 cm.

CHF 37 500 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

A206 / 1233*
Details  Image
ASTRONOMICAL TABLE CLOCK WITH SECONDS
ASTRONOMICAL TABLE CLOCK WITH SECONDS

CHF 37 500

FIGURE OF A STANDING WOMAN, PROBABLY A QUEEN

Egyptian, Late Ptolemaic period, 2nd-1st century B.C.
Sandstone. Slender, female figure, on a rectangular plinth, in a striding pose, the arms resting at her sides, wearing a long, tight-fitting dress with a wide collar and a wig, the wig combining the elements of the three-part wig and of the Nemes headscarf, the snake falling to the top of the rectangular back pillar, the face with finely shaped lips, straight nose and long, widely spaced eyes. The surface of the statue with remains of plaster and traces of pigment.
H 59 cm.

CHF 143 750 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

S19 / 1804
Details  Image
FIGURE OF A STANDING WOMAN, PROBABLY A QUEEN
FIGURE OF A STANDING WOMAN, PROBABLY A QUEEN

CHF 143 750

FRAGMENT OF A FEMALE ROBED STATUE

Probably Cypriot, 2nd -1st century B.C. Based on a Greek model.
White marble with traces of paintwork and sintering. Standing woman wearing a filigree, straight and low-cut chiton and a himation over it. The drapery of the garment is rendered in detail and gathered on the left side.
H without plinth 37 cm.

CHF 225 000 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

S19 / 1858
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FRAGMENT OF A FEMALE ROBED STATUE
FRAGMENT OF A FEMALE ROBED STATUE

CHF 225 000

TORSO OF APHRODITE LOOSENING HER SANDAL

Late Hellenistic-Roman, 2nd century B.C. - 1st century A.D.
Marble carved full-round. Nude torso standing in contrapposto with the goddess Aphrodite loosening her sandal. On a later plinth.
H without plinth 34 cm.

CHF 93 750 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.

S19 / 1864
Details  Image
TORSO OF APHRODITE LOOSENING HER SANDAL
TORSO OF APHRODITE LOOSENING HER SANDAL

CHF 93 750