$22,000
Sold
sold
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Description
30" (76 cm.) Standing upon a velvet-covered wooden base is a paper-mache headed character depicting the legendary Polichinelle,having highly stylized facial sculpting with angular cheek bones,pointy chin,elongated nose,brown glass eyes with articulated leather eyelids,mohair lashes,open mouth with double row of teeth,white mohair fleecy wig,carton torso with characteristic Polichinelle humps at front and back torsos,metal hands,carton legs with attached shoes having upturned toes,wearing a luxurious blue and red silk jester costume with metallic soutache and fringe,lace edging,and having matching bicorn hat and silk pom-poms,and holding a wooden violin. When wound,he turns his head in a circular and nodding fashion,blinks his eyelids,and "bows" the violin by intricate movement of his entire arm in a very realistic manner,while music plays. Condition: generally excellent,mechanism and music function well. Comments: a rare early automaton by Jean Roullet,circa 1870,with original Theroude mechanisms; the model appeared in an early Roullet catalog named Polichinelle No. 8 at the luxury price of 85 francs. Ex-collection Christian Bailly.