A magnificent bird box of beautifully engraved doré bronze featuring enameled hand-painted pastoral landscapes. A large Rococo garden scene on the lid illustrates serene ladies and gentlemen watching a laughing girl on a swing. Mechanical singing bird boxes, known as a tabatière in France (from the French word for tobacco, for they resemble tobacco or snuff boxes), initially appeared in the 1780s as playthings for wealthy noblemen and royalty. Today, these wonderful antique boxes continue to delight and are highly sought after by collectors. This box conceals a brilliantly colored hand-feathered miniature bird. When the lid is opened, the bird rises and sings a lovely tune while moving his beak and flapping his wings. When the bird