Passed
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Description
16" (41 cm.) Standing upon a velvet-covered wooden platform with wooden ball feet is a bisque-headed girl with blue glass paperweight inset eyes,closed mouth,beautifully painted features,blonde mohair wig over cork pate,carton torso and legs,bisque forearms,and black silk costume. She stands behind a wooden pedestal table on which is arranged a tinplate mouse trap with hinged door and a little mouse. When wound,music plays,the young girl raises and lowers her arms,her right hand using the stick to direct the mouse into the trap,while her left hand lifts and lowers the trap door; meanwhile she raises and lowers her head to alternately look at the audience or her trick mouse. The mouse moves hesitantly and then scampers. Condition: generally excellent,music and mechanism function well,table cover and painted tin mouse box are a bit worn. Comments: Louis Renou,Paris,circa 1900. The charming vignette with simple mechanical movements seems more a decoration than a play thing. In fact,in a 1905 patent Renou wrote,"When a child is given an automaton as a gift,as a rule it is not turned over to the child for play,but is rather placed on a mantel,or on some other piece of furniture where it is wound up and set in motion by adults. It is actually an item of home furnishing or decoration and not a toy". Value Points: charming vignette enhanced by lovely music and beautiful doll face.