We have a large number of vintage and antique clocks currently listed along with an equally impressive collection of music boxes and other very nice antique and vintage collectibles. Be sure to have a look at our. This is an outstanding find of a breathtaking, beautifully carved, musical, animated hunter mechanical cuckoo clock that was created about 55 years ago in the Black Forest of what was then, "Karlsruhe Germany" by Albert Schwab, one of the most creative and high quality clock makers in this region of the world.
The carvings are outstanding, old World quality, and the case and fancy carvings have a remarkable extra dark blended oak finish; very nice! It is a great looking clock and an impressive size too measuring about 18" high (from the tip of the antlers to the bottom of the game bag and not counting the weights or pendulum), about 9" at its deepest point, and about 9 1/2 at its widest point. The clock looks to be carved mostly from cured and aged Linden wood which has been the choice of cuckoo carvers since around 1870. There is a uniquely carved wooden game bird mounted to the right side of the dial and an equally impressive, very unusual, beautifully carved wooden rabbit mounted to the left side.
The clock front is designed to look like an intricate oak tree adorned with ten, deeply carved wooden oak leaves as well as a carved hunting game bag with straps on the very bottom. The dial has a black backdrop and features raised white Roman numerals to mark the hours and a pair of matching fancy hands to point out the time. There is a wooden balcony just above the dial with scallops lavished in Edelweiss flowers.
There is a rotating dance floor just behind the balcony and four colorful Black Forest dancing couples are mounted to it. The top is a separate wooden carving and features a large deer head complete with complex antlers and two shotguns mounted just below it. The back is wood too and secured with a metal latch. It removes to allow access to the mechanical, weight driven movement produced by "Regula" and bearing the Albert Schwab name and Karlsuhe, West Germany point of origin. A weight driven movement simply means that the chains need to be pulled occasionally to wind the clock, cuckoo activity, animation and music.
The bellow or whistle tubes are intact and the tops look and sound good too. At the bottom of each hour, a colorful bird opens the small wooden door above the dance floor and stands in the doorway. He gives off a single cuckoo sound in tandem with a coiled cathedral chime and then retreats back inside and closes the door. When he is safely inside, the dance floor begins to turn and the dancers spin about while a Swiss made, high quality music box inside the case plays a very nice rendition of "Im Munchen Steht ein Hofbrauhaus" which is the theme song to the annual Oktoberfest in Munich.
When the music is over, the dancers stop and wait until the next half hour. The bird reappears at the top of the hour and correctly cuckoos and chimes the current number of hours and then goes back inside the case and closes the door behind him. When he is safely inside, the dance floor begins to turn yet again and the dancers spin about but this time the music box plays a heavenly rendition of the beloved, "Auf Wiedersehen, " one of the most popular songs ever created.
And when the music is over, the dancers stop; absolutely fascinating! I did notice that the music and animation does work but usually only when I operate it manually; sometimes on its own but it needs an adjustment to cause it to work as it was designed to.
It's all there but I simply don't have the time these days to work on the old clocks like I used to. There is a fully intact label on the left side of the case identifying both song titles. The clock works just fine here, keeps good time, and cuckoos as it was designed to! Keep in mind this is an old clock and we don't know the service history though the movement does show signs of maintenance.
Nonetheless, we always advise our clock customers to service their vintage or antique clocks at least once every three years. Doing so will preserve a classic clock like this one and keep it running strong for years to come. The clock comes complete as shown with three sets of attached metal chains, a hand carved wooden oak leaf pendulum, and three heavy pinecone shaped metal weights. Ive looked the clock over fairly well and cant find any damage, missing parts, and only average or less signs of use.It is just gorgeous on display! This clock is a wonderful look back at the greatness of Black Forest workmanship and is certain to capture the imagination of anyone seeing or hearing it in your home, office or wherever it is that you care to showcase a magnificent, very unique, mechanical, musical German timepiece with a solid history behind it.
Have the music and animation repaired, repair it yourself, or leave it the way it is. If you like this item and I'm sure you do, then I know you'll love the other items. Check back frequently since we're listing a lot of antique/vintage items as time allows!We'd be glad to send more pictures if available; just ask! My wife and I have been accumulating lots of nice antiques and other collectors items over the years. But now is a good time to start clearing out the things we no longer wish to keep. We do all that we can to accurately describe each item to the best of our ability. Be sure to add commits to your favorites list.
The item "NICE GERMAN 2 TUNE SWISS MUSIC DANCERS BLACK FOREST HUNTER DEER CUCKOO CLOCK" is in sale since Friday, September 10, 2021. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Decorative Collectibles\Clocks\Cuckoo & Black Forest Clocks".
The seller is "commits" and is located in Yucaipa, California. This item can be shipped worldwide.