1. Introduction 📜🔍🏛️
This charming and finely crafted music box by Royal Albert is a truly delightful piece of collectible art. It features a beautiful basket overflowing with vibrant, hand-sculpted roses in the classic and world-renowned Old Country Roses pattern.
The piece combines the timeless elegance of fine porcelain with a nostalgic musical element, making it a wonderful addition to any collection.
2. About the Musical Basket 📖✍️✨
This dual-function figurine serves as both a beautiful decorative object and a fully functional music box. By winding the key on the underside, it plays the timeless and recognizable melody of Beethoven's "Fur Elise."
This piece is designed to be a centerpiece of grace and nostalgia, perfect for a shelf, a mantelpiece, or a dressing table. It offers both a visual aesthetic and a sentimental, auditory experience.
3. About the Maker: Royal Albert ✍️🏛️
Founded in 1896, Royal Albert is a celebrated English brand with a long history of producing fine bone china and collectibles. The brand received a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, cementing its status as a provider of fine tableware to the Royal Household.
The "Old Country Roses" pattern, first introduced in 1962, is its most famous design, known for its romantic and nostalgic floral motifs.
4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜
With its 1962 copyright date, this piece is a very early example of the iconic "Old Country Roses" pattern, which was launched in the same year. This places the music box squarely in the heart of the mid-century modern era, when a desire for ornate, decorative items led to a boom in the collectible ceramics market.
This musical basket is a tangible connection to that period of home decor and a testament to the pattern's enduring popularity.
5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️
This music box will appeal to a wide range of discerning collectors. The ideal buyer is a collector of Royal Albert, a music box enthusiast, a lover of vintage decor, or a gift buyer.
The combination of its beautiful porcelain artistry and nostalgic melody makes it a unique and sought-after collectible.
6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️
This music box is valuable for its verified maker and pattern, its dual decorative and musical function, and its excellent vintage condition. As a piece from the launch year of the world-famous "Old Country Roses" pattern, it holds a special significance for collectors. The combination of the beautiful porcelain artistry and the nostalgic melody makes it a unique and sought-after collectible.
This item is approximately 63 years old.
7. Condition 🔎📚✨
This vintage music box is in excellent vintage condition. It has been preserved with a natural patina and dust, which adds to its aged charm. There may be a small flea bite chip on a porcelain petal.
This is not noticeable at a distance but is visible upon close inspection. The music box mechanism is in working order and plays the melody as intended.
8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩
The "Old Country Roses" pattern was first introduced in 1962. The brand Royal Albert received a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The music box plays the melody of Beethoven's "Fur Elise". The piece is from the launch year of the world-famous pattern.
9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰
Item Type: Porcelain/Music Box
Genre: Decorative Arts, Collectibles, Music, Home Decor
Target Audience: Collectors of Royal Albert, music box enthusiasts, lovers of vintage decor, gift buyers
