Passed
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Description
18" (46 cm.) Arranged upon a wooden stage platform,designed to appear as though it is merely a floor board held up by two saw-horses,are two wooden chairs centered by a paper-mache-headed clown with highly characterized face,glass eyes,painted clown decorations on white complexion,two-toned mohair wig flailing wildly in three directions,paper-mache torso and legs,bisque hands and wearing his original silk acrobat/clown costume. The clown is leaning on the backs of two chairs. Movements and Music. Balancing with his hands on the chair backs,he raises himself vertically above the stage. Then while the chairs slowly tilt outward,he continues to lift himself,persisting until he is at a nearly upright hand-stand,his legs forking back and forth while he ascends. Pausing,as though for applause,he then slowly begins his descent,until returning to the original position. Music plays throughout. Louis Renou,circa 1900. In 1886 Louis Renou took over the firm Dehais & LaForest. The firm specialized in games,toys and novelty items,and Renou carved a niche for himself by designing and building smaller-sized automata with simple mechanisms and,often,humorous effect. In this way,he was able,in theory,to sell the pieces at a lower price point and,hence,to a wider audience than were buying the luxury automata from Vichy or Roullet & Decamps. Notwithstanding,his marketing efforts fell short,and today his charming automata are rare and hard-to-find.