$15,000
Sold
sold
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Description
29" (74 cm.) Standing behind an ebony wooden table with green felt fringed cover and embroidered gambling details, upon a red velvet covered platform, is a handsome gentleman with carton head, brown glass eyes with leather eyelids which open and close, painted facial details and complexion, and hinged jaw which opens to double row of teeth and tongue, with brunette mohair wig, moustache and beard, carton torso and legs, metal hinged upper arms and paper mache hands whose fingers encircle the silver metal cups that rest on the table. He is wearing his original fancy croupier costume with brocade silk vest, shirt, bow tie, magenta silk jacket with tails, breeches, tights, shoes, top hat and a medallion jewel. When wound, two tunes play sequentially, and the gambling magic tricks ensue; he blinks his eyes open and closed, his mouth opens and closes, and he alternately lifts the cups to reveal ever-changing treasures including rooster, rose, coins, elephant, little doll, "jewels" and die with ever-changing turn. Condition: generally excellent, mechanism and music function well. Marks: L.B. (key). (L.B. paper tune label on base which lists two tunes, Carmen and L'Oiseau du Paradis). Comments: Leopold Lambert, circa 1885. Value Points: very fine state of preservation on the rare automaton with exceptional detail of surprises, original labels.