A beautiful, compact-size antique music box with drum and bells made by Paillard of St Croix, Switzerland in c. 1880.

The musical movement features 6 saucer bells distributed around a central drum with 8 beaters, along with a tune indicator on the left hand side of the comb and beautiful engine turned decoration to the spring barrel. Both bells and drum can be engaged and disengaged at will. It plays a selection of 6 popular tunes of the days as detailed on the original tunesheet, including ‘HMS Pinafore’ and ‘The Last rose of Summer’. The sound is very nice.

This is housed within a gorgeous petit-scale rosewood case with a musical instrument motif to the lid, as well as banding on all sides in tulipwood and ebony, all mounted on an ebonised plinth.

A gorgeous, compact scale music box.