Rare Singing Bird Musical Automaton Vignette by Jean-Marie Phali

Depicting a flautist on a river bank beneath a rose tree, in sculpted papier-mâché landscape with glass reflecting pool, waterfall, two articulated birds and a duck, the flautist with French bisque head, closed mouth, fixed blue glass eyes, original mohair wig and partly original cream satin costume trimmed with lace and ribbons, on ebonized base containing going-barrel motor, eight wood cams, two pulleys, intermittent cylinder musical movement and bellows for the twittering effect, under antique glass dome, ht. approx. 28 in. (71 cm) including dome, neat professional repair on dome, pulley for the waterfall slips occasionally, otherwise sympathetically restored working condition. With steel key. - The intermittent gearing for the cylinder movement is an unusual feature that times the musical accompaniment to match the sequence of actions. The music begins only when the flautist lowers his head and raises the instrument to play. He plays a complete air, then lowers the flute, the music pauses and the birdsong begins. When the musician raises his flute once more, the birds stop singing. The program is accompanied by the two articulated birds in the rose tree - one fluttering its wings, the other flitting between back and forth between the branches. The duck turning on the pond and the spiraling of the faceted glass waterfall. - A charming automaton with a complex mechanism and series of motions, music and birdsong.

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)