Cylinder Musical Box with Inset Clock and Bells
Possibly made by L. Ducommon et Cie, Geneva, Switzerland,
c. 1863
The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection
Morris Museum
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Cylinder Musical Box with Inset Clock and Bells
Though the earliest cylinder musical boxes of the late 1700s and early
1800s generally had plain cases, later makers made increasingly elaborate
(and expensive) boxes like the one displayed here. Its burled walnut lid
with inlaid banding and floral decoration is as much a work of art as
a mechanical musical instrument. This musical box plays six operatic tunes,
each accompanied by six saucer bells. The clock can be set to play a melody
just before it strikes the hour.
