Dreweatts 1759
Lot 1039
A FINE SWISS FIGURED WALNUT INTERCHANGEABLE CYLINDER MUSIC BOX WITH ZITHER ATTACHMENTRETAILED BY J.R. LOSADA, LONDON, CIRCA 1870Each of the nine 7 inch pinned cylinders playing a choice of six tunes on a 66 tooth comb, set within a gilt painted steel bed with large ratchet-crank wound going barrel, governor and start/stop mechanism to the left hand end opposing tune selection shunt mechanism to the right, with pivoted latch clamps for the cylinder arbor pivots (to allow removal/changing of the cylinders) and hinged zither attachment for the comb operated via a lever within a lyre-shaped panel, set beneath hinged glazed dust cover flanked by REPEAT/CHANGE and PLAY/STOP operating levers to the right-hand side opposing ratchet crank winder to the left, the hinged lid applied with card tune sheet listing each of the six tunes per cylinder including Guilamme Tell and Rigoletto to cylinder no. 1; Rip van Winkle and See Saw to no. 3; and The Blue Bells of Scotland, God Save the Queen and Auld Lang Syne to no. 6, the upper margin of the card inscribed FABRIQUE DE GENEVE and the lower with ink stamp J.R. LOSADA, 105 REGENT ST. LONDON, the box with angled tulip-wood and box line-strung border to the ogee-edge top over conforming front, veneered sides with generous gilt brass carrying handles, and grained rear, on ebonised ogee moulded skirt base; now with a purpose made figured walnut two-drawer table stand, executed in the George III style with ogee edge top and cockbeaded drawers with the upper fitted to take the additional cylinders, the detachable base with ogee moulded skirt over four square section channel-moulded supports, (originally with ten cylinders, tune sheet original but redacted).The box 23cm (9ins) high, 66.5cm (26.5ins) wide, 32.5cm (12.7ins) deep; the box on table 104cm (41ins) high, 74cm (29.25ins) wide, 49cm (19.25ins) deep. Jose Rodriguez Losada is recorded in Loomes, Brian Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World, Volume 2 as working in London 1839-75. Losada was a Spanish émigré apparently exiled to London due to his liberal military past during the Liberal Triennium. He worked for James Moore French, initially as a cleaner (employment secured through the The Committee for Aid to Emigrants in London), but he soon learnt the trade and eventually inherited the business operating from the 105 Regent Street premises from 1835. Losada specialised in complex precision clocks and marine chronometers for export to Spanish speaking countries. In 1864 he supplied 36 marine chronometers to the Spanish Government through the Royal Observatory at Cadiz; and In 1866 he donated the Casa de Correos clock in Madrid's Puerta Del Sol to the Madrid City Council free of charge (this clock still takes centre stage for Madrid residents and visitors at midnight on New Year's Eve). Jose Rodriguez Losada died in 1875 leaving the business in the hands of his nephews, José and Miguel Rodriguez, who continued up until around 1890. Condition Report: Mechanism appears to be in fine clean original working condition with no visible faults evident however it is a little slow to get started suggesting that lubrication may be a little dry. Each of the cylinders are stamped with numbers 3388. As catalogued the tune sheet has been redacted to no longer include cylinder 10 which is no longer present with the instrument. The box is in fine cosmetically condition with minimal wear or other faults evident except for a reasonably well-matched veneer patch repair towards the leading edge of the lid. As catalogued the two-drawer stand is of fairly recent construction and bespoke for the box. It is of good quality and in fine condition with faults limited to a few very light surface blemishes only; the lower drawer not fitted-out in any way so simply serves as additional storage.Box does not have a key for the lock. Condition Report Disclaimer
