I Know Why these Caged Birds Sing

...because they're automatons, that's why!

Found this brass birdcage containing two mechanical birds that sing, pivot, and flap their wings yesterday. They're in fine working order, and tweet up a storm. Unfortunately, recording a video to show you would create a huge file that would not fit in our beloved forums.

So here's what I know, and it's not a lot: The cage is brass ca. 1950-60, and the maker was West German, a designation that lasted from after the Second World War to around 1989-80 or so. Of course now it's just Germany. Oh, and the base contains the gears and bellows that make the birds sing and move.

I have so far been unable to find a maker's name to associate with this. Can you?

 

Edit: Senior moment, but this one is German:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/286958519119?_trkparms=itmf=1&aid=1110018&rkt=12&asc=20201210111451&mech=1&algv=CompVIDesktopATF2V6ReplaceKnnV4WithVectorDbNsOptHotPlRecallWithSiblingFilterCpcRecallsWithCiiQueryEmbedding&pmt=1&amclksrc=ITM&sd=147222897450&sid=AQALAAAAENKdChRMV4lya4b07o8W44g=&itm=286958519119&noa=0&plcampt=0:11613937018&algo=HOMESPLICE.COMPLISTINGS&ao=1&rk=4&pid=101196&b=1&mehot=none&lsid=0&meid=5be89cd3c34f4f5395d5b4e2de681e55&pg=2332490&_trksid=p2332490.c101196.m2219&itmprp=cksum:2869585191195be89cd3c34f4f5395d5b4e2de681e55|enc:AQALAAABUMJqCZOVY9EoLokt2QswX93oJfuGbORZEZhlCAjlXRRCUbpM9OMIdCmRfkOVQ1PhspDZGTlVp%2BsQFBtO93nb2QX5mVs4lL83nkIbUjqkMa8029EY4XfdhoaLjzTWK5DJUavttt5PoiOIedyWzJY%2FVumQy5JsNvPYZ3L7ZJXd9ZpiJG2utg6eNBsFqkvyQ0eo6S3i4P8OiK7tI%2BZbqM8QOlv3RLjHPKaGHbd4s1RUYl%2FGduL%2FCbDvDOlI53%2FEtW0XdpBC%2BJd9iLUH%2BHZOW3vxLNo1pJgstEr5aIg%2BoZLM0pWsT9M9GJnAPMkAlFhSqqR4nm5%2F0Cpi4DyLbIrimuHU8VZmIHZVtBQ0GNbO9BXiF%2FbUHG5xB2gMsKAmQ5TEuCjexydZU9wNdzooqovxLeqpoQ75Jwm1aB2homV3JvDRiv4dh7t3Qv5ZMvPYMnSkkbPr2w%3D%3D|ampidL_CLK|clp:2332490&itmmeta=01KNCE1JGH085XGZSCJKEB1WQ6

It has the same decorated band around the base as yours.

 

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My, there are a lot of similars floating around the internet. Must have been a popular item. Have you tried Karl Griesbaum? He made this one, much more elaborate than yours, but company worked in a range of price points. Not an expert on fonts, by way, but that stickers looks a bit later than 1950s.

https://mus-col.com/en/the-authors/13929/

Debora

 

The base of the one I posted above, with the same label, no maker:

 

hmm, either nothing fills in or I get an error message.
I did find one with the same decorative band, and that’s where I got the information stated above. Sadly, they did not identify a maker.

Not a Reuge unfortunately. If it was, it would be worth many times what I paid for it!

 

Thanks @Debora . From a cursory reading of the article it looks like any time from the 40s (brass was not requisitioned for the war) to the 60s was the firm’s heyday. I’d be thrilled if this was a Griesbaum, and it looks like that could very well be the case!

 

Ah... Appears Karl Gresibaum items were signed and stamped.

Debora

 

I have a very similar one. But I need to find my magnifying glass to read the base.
My parents bought it after they saw my grandparents had one.
No label on mine but it says something. Will try to read it later on.

 

This one, from the link Debora posted, has the same decorated band around the base as yours:

https://mus-col.com/en/collection/mmp/the-automatons/singing-birds/26957/

Unfortunately they don't know the maker either.

 

Same story here, the same band around the base:

https://mus-col.com/en/collection/mmp/the-automatons/singing-birds/26936/

This time they add a date, 1970. Of course they could have been made for several decades.

 

It certainly could be 1970! Or 1968 or ……
I think that Griesbaum produced more of these than anyone else.

 

Mine reads Reuge Made in Switzerland.

Mine is at least 35 years old since it was purchased by my mom and dad and my mom passed in 1991