Nicole Freres, who work was considered the Rolls Royce of music boxes, began working in the early 1800s in Geneva, Switzerland. He soon developed a reputation for consistent, beautiful pieces that were highly decorative.
During Queen Victoria's reign, music boxes provided the only means of recorded music in the home. Frere's work was able to accurately produce music with a beautiful quality and tone.
Today the music boxes are highly sought after by collectors interested in watchmaking, music production or mechanical instruments. Saleroom Manager, Andrew Doubleday stated "We had an incredible amount of interest in this lot pre-sale. On the day we had 3 phone lines, internet and bidding in the room. In fact over 300 buyers were registered to bid online; not just for this item but for the whole of the two days. It was good to see the saleroom busy and attended for both the preview day and both the sale days."
The winning bid was received via telephone. This item was consigned through our satellite valuation office in Stamford and is now in the hands of a private collector.
