$15,000
Sold
sold
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Description
24"(61 cm.) A seated paper mache headed man with ebony black complexion and highly
caricatured face has brown glass eyes,painted facial features,black fleeced hair,and wears
early silk and woolen costume. He holds a banjo in the arms. The mechanism,consisting of 3
wooden cams is hidden in the box upon which he sits and creates four animations: head
turning side to side,nodding of the head,eyelids blinking,and strumming of the guitar. There
are two tunes. Condition: some craquelure to paper mache,eyelids need leather recovering
and adjustment,mechanism and music otherwise function well. Comments: Henry
Phalibois,circa 1895,the automaton is created as a coin-operated model; when an English
"copper"is dropped into the brass chute at his side,the movements and music are activated
for the length of one musical tune and then automatically stop. At the rear of the velvet-
covered base is a hinged access door so that a coin-catch box can periodically be emptied.