Key-Wind Three-Overture Musical Box by Nicole Frères, c. 1845

No. 24532, playing the overtures to "The Daughter of St. Mark" and "The Bohemian Girl" by Balfe and "Don Giovanni" by Mozart (Gamme No. 6302), with fine comb of 169 teeth (complete) stamped "Nicole Frères", brass bedplate, instant-stop control, grained case with red interior, hinged endflap and rosewood-veneered lid with inlay of boxwood and harewood, wd. 17 ¼ in. (44 cm), cylinder 9 1/8 x 2 ¾ in. diameter (23,5 x 7 cm), two replacement teeth in comb, one or two dampers in need of adjustment. With steel key and replica tune-sheet. Good restored playing condition. – An early three-overture musical box with particularly fine arrangements and an unusual program. – Michael William Balfe's "Daughter of St. Mark", first performed in London on 27 November 1844, is not a common choice in mechanical music but with his most popular work "The Bohemian Girl" which premiered exactly two years earlier, it represented an up-to-date selection in 1845. – The opera tells the story of Catherine Cornaro, the niece of a Venetian patrician, who marries King Lusignano of Cyprus. Alfred Bunn, who composed the libretto, noted in the program: "In order to satisfy the rigid law, which forbade the marriage of any Venetian of noble birth with a foreigner, the destined royal bride was solemnly adopted by the state, and declared a daughter of St. Mark". – Reference: http://babel.hathitrust.org/ cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044086779428;view=1up;seq=9

布雷克拍品等级是为了方便竞买人判断拍卖品的成色而设置的。布雷克等级用1到6级来标注外观和功能的成色，(从非常好到非常差)。 在目录图册里用括号里的2个数字来表示，前一个数字表示外观成色的级别，后一个数字表示功能成色的级别。如(3/2)表示外观成色是3(满意的)，功能成色2(好)。 成色 定义参照下列标准： 1 - 非常好 (未使用过，没有使用痕迹) 2 - 好 (新，极少的使用痕迹) 3 - 满意的 (普通的使用痕迹) 4 - 及格的 (明显的使用痕迹，某个非主要部件是后配的) 5 - 有缺陷的 (极明显的使用痕迹, 某个主要部件是后配的，功能上有缺陷，需要修理) 6 - 非常差 (严重破损, 缺少重要部件)