Passed
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Description
30" (76 cm.) Standing upon a velvet-covered wooden
base is a paper-mache headed character depicting
the legendary Polichinelle. He has highly stylized
facial sculpting with angular cheek bones,pointy
chin,elongated nose,brown glass eyes with
articulated leather eyelids,mohair lashes,open
mouth with double row of teeth,white mohair fleecy
wig,carton torso with characteristic Polichinelle
humps at front and back torsos,metal hands,carton
legs with attached shoes having upturned toes. He
is wearing a luxurious blue and red silk jester
costume with metallic soutache and fringe,lace
edging,and having matching bi-corn hat and silk
pom-poms. He holds a wooden violin. Movement and
Music. Turning his head in a circular and nodding
fashion,he blinks his eyelids,and "bows" the
violin by intricate movement of his entire arm in
a very realistic manner. Music plays. Jean
Roullet,circa 1870,with original Theroude
mechanisms,a rare early automata. The model was
made in two versions,with base or without base on
weighted feet,and it appeared in an early Roullet
catalog named Polichinelle No. 8 at the luxury
price of 85 francs. Ex-collection Christian Bailly.