Passed
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Description
7" (94 cm.) Standing upon a handsomely carved and finished wooden base with velvet floor cover,the front panel of which is centered by a marquetry diamond depicting a song sheet and juniper leaves,is a festively dressed Clown. The Clown has a highly characterized composition head with painted white complexion and clown decorations,glass eyes,fleecy reddish brown hair,and is dressed in a red cotton shirt decorated with black stars,striped bow tie,silk slippers and black socks,and suspender-held satin yellow pants bearing a black criss-cross pattern and a painted green frog that is seemingly climbing up his pants. Next to the clown are arranged two over-sized dice,and the floor is decorated with a magician's top hat,his white gloves,and scattered playing cards. Movements and Music. Standing with pink handkerchief in right hand and a black fan with painted floral spray in his left left,he gently brings the fan up in front of his face,and when it is lowered,his head has suddenly disappeared into thin air! He waves the handkerchief,and then the lid of the upper dice opens and up pops his smiling head! The lid closes,he raises his fan once again,and,with a flourish,he lowers the fan to reveal his head once more in its rightful position. Two tunes play throughout. Michel Bertrand,Switzerland,1988,commissioned by Jerry and Bunny Steinbaum who have been the sole owners of the piece until this time. The piece was inspired by a model by Henry Phalibois,circa 1900. This Bertrand example was under construction for the Steinbaums when the author Daniel Troquet came to interview Bertrand for his book,The Wonderland of Music Boxes and Automata (Les Editions du Cochet,1989),and the book features several full page photographs of the piece in different state of being built,along with commentary by Bertrand of how he came up with his concept,sculpted the molds,patterned the cams,designed a mechanism and such. A copy of the book is included with the automata.