{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O58971"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O58971/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2013GV0543/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2013GV0543/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2013GV0543","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0551","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0552","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0543","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0550","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0554","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0561","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0545","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0546","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0548","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0549","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0544","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FL0563","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KX0649","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018LA0081","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O58971/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O58971","accessionNumber":"629-1868","objectType":"Bird organ (serinette)","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"The case of this bird organ was made by Leonard Boudin (1735-1804) of Paris, a specialist in floral marquetry. Bird organs were used to teach caged birds to sing different tunes. The user would wind a handle, which pumped the bellows in a wind-box and simultaneously rotated a cylinder, used to control the air-supply to individual organ-pipes and thus produce different tunes. Different types of bird organ were used in France. This example is a <i>serinette</i>, which copied the sound of finches. Others included a <i>merline</i>, which copied blackbirds and a <i>turlutaine</i>, which copied curlews.","physicalDescription":"Case of walnut and possibly poplar, veneered with sycamore inlaid with walnut, sycamore (partly stained with various pigments), partly engraved, the engraving filled with red and black pigments, pearwood, boxwood and purplewood; musical instrument of turned wood (unidentified) painted black, brass and leather, steel springs; gilt brass mounts, steel key. Stamped L*BOUDIN and JME on the front rail of the bottom","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Boudin, Leonard","id":"A24096"},"association":{"text":"Made","id":"x28690"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"poplar","id":"AAT12363"},{"text":"sycamore","id":"AAT12357"},{"text":"walnut","id":"AAT12476"},{"text":"gilt brass","id":"x38746"},{"text":"leather","id":"AAT11845"},{"text":"pearwood","id":"x34734"},{"text":"boxwood","id":"AAT12002"},{"text":"purplewood","id":"AAT12419"},{"text":"","id":""}],"techniques":[{"text":"inlay","id":"AAT53853"},{"text":"gilding","id":"AAT53789"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Walnut and possibly poplar, veneered with sycamore inlaid with walnut, sycamore (partly stained with various pigments), partly engraved, the engraving filled with red and black pigments, pearwood, boxwood and purplewood; musical instrument of turned wood (unidentified) painted black, brass and leather, steel springs; gilt brass mounts, steel key.","categories":[{"text":"Musical instruments","id":"THES48919"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"FWK","id":"THES48597"},"images":["2013GV0543","2012FL0551","2012FL0552","2012FL0543","2012FL0550","2012FL0554","2012FL0561","2012FL0545","2012FL0546","2012FL0548","2012FL0549","2012FL0544","2012FL0563","2018KX0649","2018LA0081"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"1","id":"THES263059"},"free":"","case":"CA2","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Bird organ (serinette)","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"Made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"about 1770","earliest":"1770-01-01","latest":"1770-12-31"},"association":{"text":"Made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"204","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"310","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"270","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Boudin","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Stamped on the base. Initial uncertain but most likely Leonard Boudin."}],"objectHistory":"The Museum bought this object from a certain Mr Whitehead in 1868 for £50.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Bird organ or serinette, beechwood case with marquetry decoration, Leonard Boudin, Paris, French, about 1770.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Raymond Russell:<i>Victoria and Albert Museum Catalogue of Musical Instruments. Volume I. Keyboard Instruments.</i> (London, 1968), p. 69."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Elizabeth Miller and Hilary Young, eds., <i>The Arts of Living. Europe 1600-1815</i>. V&A Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 978 1 85177 807 2, illustrated p. 169."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Bird organ\r\nAbout 1770\n\nA bird organ was an instrument used to teach caged birds to sing tunes. It first appeared in France around 1730 and became a popular drawing-room toy for fashionable women. Different barrels were inserted to train different birds. This one, with two sets of pipes, probably imitated a blackbird’s song. The case was made by Leonard Boudin, a specialist in marquetry.\r\n\r\nFrance (Paris)\r\nBy Leonard Boudin\r\nWalnut and poplar, veneered with sycamore; marquetry in European and tropical woods; gilded copper alloy mounts\r\n","date":{"text":"09/12/2015","earliest":"2015-12-09","latest":"2015-12-09"}},{"text":"BIRD ORGAN (Serinette) \r\nFrench, about 1765-1775 \r\nThe piece is stamped L BOUDIN\r\nBeechwood case, veneered with satinwood, inlaid with various woods, bronze mounts. \r\n \r\nThe serinette is derived from serine, French for finch. The instrument worked like a small barrel organ with a barbed cylinder, wind box and lead pipes and produced a high, thin sound  in imitation of birds. Other versions included a merline, which copied blackbirds and a turlutaine, which copied curlews. \r\n \r\nLeonard Boudin (1735-1804) specialised in floral marquetry and lacquer furniture and included le Chevalier d'Arc and le Marquis de Castelmore among his patrons. \t\r\n\r\n\r\n629-1868","date":{"text":"pre September 2000","earliest":null,"latest":"2000-08-31"}}],"partNumbers":["629-1868"],"accessionNumberNum":"629","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1868,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LM9975","2019LN8346","2019LV1283","2019LV9526"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-11-12","recordCreationDate":"2001-05-16","availableToBook":false}}