Early 19th Century Unique Musical Automaton "Street Grinder with Dancing Dolls"

Live Auction

10" (25 cm.) Carved wooden head and black-complexioned man with black fleeced hair is standing behind a velvet-covered organ with metallic silk fringe,upon which are posed two pairs of carved wooden dolls ; the man has padded armature body,wooden hands one of which is folded to hold the organ handle,and the other outstretched to hold the coin plate,carved wooden boots,original (frail)silk costume with gold bead trim,two leather satchels. The arrangement is presented on thick wooden round base with three ball feet. Condition: generally excellent,dancing movement and music function well,arm moves slowly. Comments: Southern Germany,late 18th/early 19th century,from a series of figures created for village scenes depicting all the persons and activities of a bustling small village; examples of these villages can be seen at the Spielzeug Welten Museum in Basel and the Bavarian National Museum in Munich. Value Points: few examples of the very rare mechanical village figures are known; when wound,the grinder turns the organ handle at the side,the two pairs of dancing figures twirl about,and music plays.