#6

Rare and Luxurious French Musical Automaton
Live Auction

$24,000
sold
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Description
20" (51 cm.) doll h. Standing at the keyboard of an elegant rosewood and ebony upright piano is a bisque-head doll with bisque shoulder plate,brown glass paperweight inset eyes,dark eyeliner,lushly-painted lashes and brows,accented nostrils,closed mouth,pierced ears,blonde mohair wig over cork pate,carton torso and legs,wire upper arms,papier-mache hands,elegant silk costume. When wound,she glides her fingers across the keys,pauses,"plays",while turning her head in a realistic manner as though in time to the music. Condition: generally excellent,music and mechanism function well. Marks: Depose E. 6 J (doll). The original paper tune label on the back lists four tunes: Marche des Volontaires,Si L'Amour sur ma Route,Valse #1,and Je Ne Veux Pas. Comments: Leopold Lambert,circa 1885 the luxury automaton appeared in their catalog as Bebe Piano,with two tunes or,this,the luxury model in a larger size with four tunes. Value Points: rare and elegant automata,its luxury quality attested to by fine cabinetwork of piano,bronze mounts,Sevres porcelain vase,ivory keys,portrait-quality bebe in superb costume,and four tunes of a quality music box.