Curious Victorian Glazed Mahogany Box Coffin containing a preserved pet canary (1800 to 1900 England)

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Wood, glass, Canary

See: Finch and Co catalogue no. 7, item no. 119, for another example

The canary is the best known of all cage birds. Wild canaries still exist on the Canary Islands from whence they were imported into Europe in the 16th century. They also live on the Azores and Madeira Islands and in the wild are a brownish olive colour with greenish yellow tints below. Centuries of selective breeding in captivity, both for colour and for song, and crossing with closely related species have produced the many distinctive varieties that are known today.

A Curious Victorian Glazed Mahogany Box Coffin containing a preserved pet canary
bird
19th Century

Size: 14cm high, 5.5cm wide, 4.5cm deep – 5½ ins high, 2¼ ins wide, 1¾ ins deep