The magic of mechanical art
Manufacture Reuge is a renowned Swiss Maison specializing in luxury music boxes and singing bird automata. Founded by Charles Reuge in 1865 in Sainte-Croix, it is now the last artisanal manufacturer to preserve this unique combination of art, craft, and savoir-faire, and to continue the grand tradition of mechanical sound.
Its artistic director entrusted us with the magnificent task of decorating the base of an exceptional piece. Deeply rooted in the region, the manufacture wanted to highlight the Sainte-Croix area and its rolling hills from the Jura balcony. We collaborated with a master gilder, who hand-gilded the wooden base of the music box.
After several trials to select her techniques and immerse herself in the soul of the piece, the artist, using her small bronze tools, set about enhancing the piece. Each line, curve, and dot is meticulously applied by hand with 22-carat gold leaf. The magic of her art takes effect, inviting the contemplation of the landscapes and rolling hills of Switzerland…
The creation reveals the topography of its place of origin, and we can admire, delicately gilded, the main roads, rivers, and landscapes of the area.
The musical movement was placed at the center of the base to indicate the location of the Reuge factory and the wheat field from where the wheat stalks originate. In a captivating golden ballet, twelve carefully selected and stabilized wheat stalks sway harmoniously with the music, immersing the audience in an enchanting atmosphere. It is thanks to the musical mechanism, combined with an automaton, that the wheat stalks come to life, replicating the organic spectacle of nature.
The manufacture stands as a driving force in the realm of mechanical art, a discipline that has been listed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2020.
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