Passed
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Description
29" (74 cm.) h. overall. 22" magician. An ebony-complexioned paper mache man is standing upon a velvet covered wooden platform, behind a wooden table; the man has brown glass eyes, leather eye lids, highly defined cheek and temple bones, white mohair side burns, moustache and goatee, hinged jaw, two rows of teeth, carton torso and legs, paper mache hands with expressively posed fingers, and is wearing original silk costume with velvet vest, tucked formal shirt, black tie, black pressed flannel hat and various fob and cuff links. The table is covered in green wool flannel with metallic trim and with embroidered conjuror symbols. His hands are resting upon two silver cones which hide a compartment with revolving action that allows different "surprises" to appear, When wound, the Magician turns his head left and right, and then nods downward as though drawing attention of passers-by to the table, his jaw opens and closes rapidly as though he is calling to passers-by and his eye lids blink up and down. One of two musical tunes play, and then the cones are slowly lifted, one by one or together, revealing one of five possible treasures: flowers, coins, gilded butterfly, a little bisque doll, dice...or nothing. Condition: generally excellent, music and mechanism function well. Marks: L.B. (key). Comments: the automaton, named "Escamoteur" (conjuror) appeared in an early Lambert catalog, French, circa 1880. Value Points: superb state of preservation of the rare automaton with six movements plus six possible surprises.