Thorens Swiss Movement Bakelite & Gilt Grand Piano Music Box — "Faust Waltz"

A figural grand piano music box with a butterscotch Bakelite hinged lid mounted to a gilt cast-metal case, the body rendered with neoclassical detail — egg-and-dart molding, shell-and-anthemion frieze, laurel swag cartouches, and four sculpted legs in lyre and cabriole forms. The lid carries a relief-cast applique of a lyre wreathed in laurel with trailing ribbon, set against the warm caramel of the Bakelite. A printed celluloid keyboard strip simulates ivories at the front. Lifting the lid reveals a mahogany-lined interior with the movement housed in a separate compartment at the rear.

The Swiss movement is marked THORENS — Made in Switzerland with a SWISS tang stamp, paired with a pinned brass cylinder and steel comb. A paper label inside the case identifies the tune as "Faust Waltz" (the waltz from Gounod's Faust) — a standard of the Thorens cartouche-cylinder repertoire from the mid-twentieth century. Tested and functional, the movement plays through with clear tone. A decorative object that earns its place by actually working.

CONDITION

Fair overall and fully functional. Tested and playing. Age-appropriate wear throughout, with surface wear and minor finish loss to the gilt metal and light handling marks to the Bakelite lid. Keyboard strip shows edge chipping at one corner.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• 4" H × 8" W × 5.25" D
• Movement: Thorens, Swiss-made cylinder
• Tune: "Faust Waltz" (Gounod)
• Materials: Bakelite lid, gilt cast metal base, mahogany-lined interior
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included