Karl Griesbaum (1905-1941)
For over half a century, the Griesbaum firm was a dominant force in the production singing bird boxes, surpassing the combined output of all other competitors. Founded in 1905 by Karl Griesbaum in Triberg, located in the Black Forest region of Germany, the company became renowned for its intricate craftsmanship. Karl Griesbaum, born in 1872 to a clockmaker father, Mathias Griesbaum, was raised in a region famous for cuckoo clocks, which were popular both locally and with tourists. At the age of 33, Karl was managing a workshop producing precision parts for clocks. A significant turning point came when Mr. Rosenau, a Frankfurt-based jeweler and clock trader, asked Karl to replicate a Swiss snuffbox. This event sparked Karl’s interest in making music boxes and snuffboxes with singing birds, leading him to establish his own company named after himself “Karl Griesbaum.”
Close up of the Karl Griesbaum Logo on a previously sold music box by jacksons antique
The Griesbaum family crafted boxes with singing birds across three price categories: the most expensive were made from polished metal, followed by unpolished metal, and finally, plain brass. Initially, the cases were sourced from a manufacturer in Pforzheim, though Griesbaum eventually began producing simpler cases in-house while continuing to purchase more elaborate designs from Pforzheim. The company’s signature product became snuffboxes, crafted in a style reminiscent of traditional German silversmithing. They also made two-bird snuffboxes and other items like cigar and cigarette boxes as well as stand alone music boxes.
Karl Griesbaum had five children. The eldest son, Mathias, born in 1902 and named after his grandfather, studied clockmaking in Furtwangen and later pursued commercial studies in Karlsruhe and Switzerland. His fascination with the mechanical ingenuity of past masters such as Frisard, Rochat, and Bruguier drove him to dismantle their works and document their technical construction, which contributed to his family’s craftsmanship. In 1922, Mathias presented his father with detailed plans for a Frisard snuffbox and a birdcage, foreshadowing his future contributions to the company.
Close up of the Singing Bird in a Karl Griesbaum music box previously sold by Jacksons Antique
In 1923, Griesbaum began producing birdcages, having previously purchased them from Paris. The company’s first cage was square with a gilded wooden base and featured a single bird. Over time, they expanded production to include larger cages and two-bird models. Around 1925, the firm introduced a new innovation: whistling figurines, which became one of their most successful products.
The Griesbaum firm continued operating during World War II, as brass, a key material in their products, was not requisitioned for the war effort. Karl Griesbaum, with the assistance of Emil Trischauer, maintained the business during this time. After Karl’s death in 1941, his five children formed the association “Karl Griesbaum KG.” Karl’s son, Karl Jr., took over leadership after the war, though tensions between him and his brother Mathias eventually led Mathias to leave and establish his own business making mechanical and musical cigar and cigarette boxes.
The post-war years marked the height of the Griesbaum firm’s success. Under the leadership of Karl Jr. and Karl Kiefer, an accountant who married Amalia Griesbaum, the company employed 25 full-time staff and produced 400 birdcages, 50 snuffboxes, and 60 whistles each month. However, by the late 1960s, production began to slow, and in 1987, Karl Jr. left the company. After Karl Kiefer’s death in 1988, his daughter Ursula Mockesch decided to sell the firm to Siegfried Wendel, owner of Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett in Rudesheim am Rhein. Wendel established his own company, “Mechanische Musikwerke Manufaktur GmbH,” continuing the tradition of mechanical singing bird manufacturing. Today, Wendel’s company is considered the successor to the Griesbaum legacy.