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Orchestral Interchangeable Antique Music Box on Table, Ducommun Girod, c. 1870
$32,657.68
£24,000
€28,021.46
CA$45,148.29
A$49,148.99
CHF 26,236.95
MX$593,341.04
NOK 329,897.06
SEK 306,617.62
DKK 209,279.71
About the Item
A magnificent drum, bell, and castanet orchestral music box with six interchangeable cylinders on matching table, made by Ducommun Girod in Geneva, Switzerland c. 1870.
The mechanical musical movement features nine bells, each individually engraved with floral motifs and arranged in a staggered rack formation; a skin drum with eight beaters; a castanet with six beaters; and a tune indicator. The drum, bells, and castanet sections can all be individually disengaged and re-engaged at will using the levers at the front of the combs. The movement has been fully serviced recently and is in excellent condition, and has a truly beautiful sound.
The cylinders are each individually numbered both on the handle and on the cylinder itself, and are housed in a custom drawer in the table beneath. Each cylinder plays a selection of six tunes as detailed on the original tunesheet fixed to the underside of the lid.
Cylinder one plays six national anthems:
- God Save the King
- ‘Hail Columbia’, the unofficial US national anthem and ceremonial entrance march of the vice president of the United States
- Österreichische Volkshymne, also known as the "Kaiserhymne" by Haydn
- La Marsellaise
- Russian national anthem of the time
- Die Wacht am Rhein (Germany)
Cylinder two plays a selection of the most recognisable and popular operatic tunes of the day including Rossini’s William Tell overture and Barber of Seville, Verdi’s Rigoletto and Il Trovatore, Bellini’s La Norma, and Donizetti’s La Favorite.
Cylinders three and four continue the operatic theme, with songs including Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and La Grande Duchesse, The Blue Danube by Strauss, Weber’s Freyschutz, Gounod’s Faust and Auber’s Fra Diavolo.
Cylinder five plays a collection of popular tunes of the day including Home Sweet Home, The Last Rose of Summer, and The Bohemian Girl. The sixth cylinder is dedicated to five quadrilles of La Grande Duchesse, and a final gallop by Verdi.
The cylinders are changed by hand, by unscrewing the fixings to lift the levers at either end of the combs, and lifting out the cylinder to place it in the drawer below, from where the next cylinder is taken and placed into the musical movement. The movement is run by winding the spring at the far left side of the music box.
The case of the music box is magnificent, veneered in a rich burr walnut that gives it superb warmth and presence. The interior dust lid is also inlaid with scrolling vine leaf motifs around its borders. There is also an inlay to the interior side of the lid framing the tunesheet. All these details are indicative of a superior quality music box.
The music box sits on a matching later custom table veneered in burr walnut with inlays to the front, sides and along the fluted legs. The table also houses the drawer for storing the cylinder. It sits on casters to make moving the music box easier, and is an exquisite piece of furniture.
Sizes:
Box: 93cm W x 34cm H x 40,.5cm D
Table: 104.5cm W x 79cm H x 63.5cm D
- Dimensions:Height: 44.49 in (113 cm)Width: 41.15 in (104.5 cm)Depth: 25.01 in (63.5 cm)
- Style:Late Victorian (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1870
- Condition:Replacements made: Table is later replacement made by specialist antiques craftsmen. Repaired: Mechanical movement has been fully serviced by leading industry specialist. Wear consistent with age and use. Small scratch to interior woodwork around movement - please see image.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: VFA13191stDibs: LU9676246455452
About the Seller
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Dimensions in cm:
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Dimensions in inches:
Height 7 inches x Width 2 foot, 3 inches x Depth 11 inches
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