Member of the Q.A.D.A :   

Message from James:  

Brisbane Antiques Furniture, Silver and Fine Art  Dealer

A German Polyphon - musical box. Circa 1880-1900

This is a fine example of a late 19th Century, German made Polyphon musical box, enclosed in a solid walnut case. The case has marquetry flowered panels and an implied scene of cherubs on its lid interior. The polyphon's hand wound spring mechanism plays 15.5" discs; a range of 9 different tunes are supplied, all in excellent working order. The polyphon has been perfectly married with a delightful table with a single drawer, which houses the interchangeable disc's.

Polyphon's and musical boxes of the 18th and 19th century were seen as automatic musical instruments, producing sounds by the use of interchangeable metal disc's or cylinders plucking the tuned teeth. polyphons were the progression of the earlier developed musical snuff boxes of the 18th Century. The cylinders or disc's are usually made of metal, powered by a spring mechanism and made by artisan watchmakers.

Musical boxes come in all sizes, ranging from small easily portable pieces to much larger items of furniture, the size of grandfather clocks. Most however were tabletop specimens like this one. 

In the early 20th Century, most polyphons were progressively substituted by 'player pianos' which were louder, more flexible and could play more complicated tunes. Also aiding the demise of musical boxes and polyphons was the invention of the smaller gramophones, which had the benefit of playing back voices. 

Mass produced children's jewellery boxes still use a simplified hand-wound cylinder mechanism to play for its audience. 

                                    James