The invention of these marvellous pieces of mechanism dates from about the middle of the eighteenth century. When they first appeared they were so highly praised that they were immediately bought by the principal Courts of Europe, and it is only later, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, that the very high class of people could acquire the rare specimen that came now and then on the market.— The characteristic of the antique singing bird snuff boxes, is that the bird, when singing and mo

This wonderful artist was born at La Chaux de Fonds (Switzerland) on the 28 th of July 1721. His parents, rich peasants, seeing the great dispositions of their Child for Study, had projected to make a clergyman of him, and consequently sent him to study theology at Neuchâtel. During his holidays, which he used to spend at one of his sisters, who, having abandoned the old industry of this city, which was lacemaking, married a watchmaker, the young Peter was deeply interested in all mechanics, and

Charles Bruguier, is better known under the name of Bruguier le Père (Bruguier the Father), was born in about 1750 and died in 1830. He had two sons: 1º Jacques Bruguier whose date of birth and death are unknown, and 2º Charles Bruguier known as Charles Abraham Bruguier or “Bruguier-the-Son” born in 1788 and dead in 1862, leaving his brother and his son who died in 1886, thus ending this family. The three Bruguiers made very elaborate and fine bird boxes which they marked with their full name, a

This artist lived about at the same time as Bruguier the Father, that is from about 1750 to 1827, but the exact dates of his birth and death are uncertain. The pieces of Bruguier du Grand Pré, are generally smaller than those of Bruguier the Father—and are considered by connoisseurs as superior. He lived in the surroundings of Geneva, and marked his pieces with his mark and a number indicating the date of manufacture....

Pierre Rochat was born in the year 1780, he lived with his two sons Ami Napoléon Rochat and Louis Rochat, at a place called “Chez Meillau” au Brassus, Valley of the Lake of Joux, Switzerland. He devoted himself with his sons to the manufacture of Geneva music boxes and other small pieces of the same kind,—most of them hidden in various small objects, such as snuff boxes, bonbon boxes etc. After having lost his fortune in building speculations, the Rochat family came to Geneva in 1815 and prosper

This artist was born in 1810 and died in 1902. He made singing bird boxes of the same size and grade of work as the Bruguiers. They are just as well quoted by connoisseurs as these, but they are very difficult to recognize as he did not mark nor number them.— To these different names it is only right that we should add that of the Maillardet Family: Jean David Maillardet and Auguste Maillardet who have made many small mechanical works, after their collaboration with the Jaquet-Droz. Unfortunatel