Swiss 18K gold musical snuffbox with automaton Circa 1810

Musical snuffbox attributed to Piguet & Capt
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A very fine and rare Swiss 18 carat gold, enamel and pearl set musical snuffbox with an automaton scene and built-in center seconds watch, circa 1810. The rectangular brass movement with a cylinder escapement, the going train with a free standing barrel, a plain brass three arm balance and flat balance spring. The pin disc musical train with 21 tuned teeth drives the automaton movements through cams and levers.
An overall blue guilloché enamelled case, the rims decorated with engraved gold foliage over a green champlevé ground, the hinged cover with a split pearl set bezel disclosing the automaton scene featuring a couple of musicians in four coloured gold playing the lyre and the harp applied on each side of the dial against a finely painted polychrome enamel background and a hinged base panel. A further white enamel dial with Roman hour numerals, an outer minute track, Arabic quarter hours and blued steel Breguet hands.
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Dimensions: 80 x 45 x 20 mm
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Signed: No name
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Charles-Abraham Bruguier senior (1788-1862). Born on January 5th, 1788, in Geneva, as the son of a clockmaker, became a clockmaker himself. In 1815, Charles-Abraham took his family to London, where they lived for several years. Two children were born in London: Charles-Abraham in 1818 and Louise in 1821. The Bruguier family returned to Switzerland around 1823. Judith, their fourth child, was born in Geneva in 1825. It is only after the return to Geneva, where they first settled in Rue de Coutance 87, that is, after 1823, that Charles-Abraham began making singing birds. Between 1833 and 1837, Bruguier travelled again, this time to the town of Sainte-Suzanne near Montbéliard in France to work in the Paur music box factory (which later became the L’Epée factory). This explains the existence of music boxes with a Bruguier signature. It would seem that Charles-Abraham junior, perhaps already serving his apprenticeship, did not accompany them, for he is not mentioned in the passport application, which says only, destination Montbéliard, with his wife and three daughters.

In 1837, the Bruguier family returned once again to Geneva, living first in Rue du Cendrier 121 bis and moving the following year to Rue Coutance 75. After 1843, Bruguier senior, having acquired property in Grand-Pré (north of Geneva), transferred his workshop there. Charles Abraham Bruguier senior died in June 1862, at 74 years of age. The elder Bruguier is known for his bird boxes, but he made other kinds of pieces as well, even quite unusual ones such as these cited by his grandson Jacques-Alexandre: A clock surmounted by a vase, in the center of which a rose opens up on the hour. Out of this rose comes a hummingbird which sings and flies back to where it came from, where upon the rose closes again. A flute player leaning against a tree. He plays, every movement of his fingers corresponding to a note. A small bird appears and sings, and the man puts down his flute and turns his head to listen. A cat suddenly appears and pounces on the bird just as it finishes its song, but the bird disappears and the man begins playing again.