French Musical Automaton

Live Auction

27" (69 cm.) Arranged upon an ebony wooden base under an oval glass dome is a costumed monkey,posed as a gentleman artist,standing in front of a wooden artist easel which holds an oil painted canvas of flowers,in a country setting with a silk- leaved tree arbor and a large paper-mache rock formation which serves as a frame for an enamel-face clock. The Monkey Artist has a paper-mache head,glass eyes,grey mohair wig and beard,leather- skin jaw,carton torso,wooden hands,legs with painted stockings,and is richly dressed in silk shirt and breeches,and velvet vest,holding a palette and paint brush. When wound,the Monkey Artist blinks his eyes,nodding and turning his head,curling his lip while his mouth moves,as though conversing with an unseen passer-by. Meanwhile he dabs the palette and then adds deft strokes to the canvas. Periodically,he pauses as though to contemplate his masterpiece. Two tunes play. Marks: Japy Freres & Cie (clock). Condition: generally excellent,music and movements function well. Comments: Jean Phalibois of Paris circa 1880 with six-cam animations and two tune music with original,pull-string musical movement. This automaton was featured in the 1884 toy catalog of Silber and Fleming with the note "the manner in which it takes the colour from the palette and then proceeds to paint is very natural". Value Points: very rare and beautifully-preserved and functioning automaton with wonderful highly-animated flowing movements,and charming scene.