Passed
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Description
12" (30 cm.) A pair of dolls,representing an adult man and woman,each with wax-over-paper-mache head and glass enamel eyes,are posed as though to begin a formal dance,their hands in classic backward pose. The woman has closed mouth and her original human hair wig in elaborately braided coiffure,while the gentleman has a sculpted moustache and goatee. Each is wearing its original frail silk costume. Movement and Music. Although they appear to be standing on the floor,in actuality a cone-shaped form,hidden under the woman's skirt,not only supports both figures,but also contains the mechanical works. The man is attached to the metal cone by a heavy metal rod. They twirl around and around,then glide forward on the three wheels hidden at the bottom of the cone form. Two tunes play. Alexandre Theroude,Paris,circa 1850,the metal cone bears his signature and "Brevete SGDG" indicating that he had registered the design. Ex-collection Christian Bailly.