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Antique 10 Air Rosewood Music Box by BH Abrahams c.1880

$3,920List Price

About the Item

This is a lovely antique Swiss 10 air rosewood cylinder bells-in-view music box, circa 1880 in date. The movement is stamped BHA which stands for Barnett Henry Abrahams. The rosewood case is decorated with marquetry of musical instruments and is crossbanded with kingwood. There are three bells with butterfly strikers and a beautiful tune indicator. The box plays ten airs, unfortunately there is no music sheet to identify the various melodies. The cylinder length is approx: 15 cm. Condition: It has been beautifully restored and is in perfect working order. Dimensions in cm: Height 22 x Width 46 x Depth 28 Dimensions in inches: Height 8.7 x Width 18.1 x Depth 11.0 Music box (also musical box) is a 19th/20th century automatic musical instrument that produces sounds by the use of a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc so as to pluck th e tuned teeth (or lamellae) of a steel comb. They were developed from musical snuff boxes of the 18th century and called carillons à musique. Some of the more complex boxes also have a tiny drum and/or small bells, in addition to the metal comb. For most of the 19th century, the bulk of music box production was concentrated in Switzerland, building upon a strong watchmaking tradition. The first music box factory was opened there in 1815 by Jérémie Recordon and Samuel Junod. There were also a few manufacturers in Bohemia and Germany. By the end of the 19th century, some of the European makers had opened factories in the United States. The cylinders were normally made of metal and powered by a spring. In some of the costlier models, the cylinders could be removed to change melodies, thanks to an invention by Paillard in 1862, which was perfected by Metert of Geneva in 1879.[citation needed] In some exceptional models, there were four springs, to provide continuous play for up to three hours. Barnett Henry Abrahams (1839-1902) - was a music box dealer and maker. He emigrated to Switzerland and founded a musical box manufacturing business in 1857. In 1895 he went to Sainte-Croix to manufacture cylinder and disc musical boxes. Many of his musical boxes carried the Britannia name. After his death the business was continued by his sons and had a London address at 133/135 Houndsitch. It is known to have still been trading in 1915. Rosewood is a rich warm reddish brown wood that has a distinct grain with dark brown and black outlining. One variety of Rosewood can vary significantly from another even though it is of the same species. These Rosewoods, native of India, South East Asia and Brazil, were dense and awkward to work with. It was renowned for quickly bluntening cutting tools and visibly darkening in colour when over prepared. The Brazilian species of Rosewood was by far the most beautifully figured and therefore it became the most sought after and rare. This was the wood of choice for the great box makers, David and Thomas Edwards who used it to veneer some of their finest pieces.

Dimensions:
Height: 8.7 in (22.1 cm)Width: 18.1 in (45.98 cm)Depth: 28 in (71.12 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Rosewood
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1880
Condition:
It has been beautifully restored and is in perfect working order.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 055231stDibs: LU95061027760

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