$45,000
Sold
sold
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Description
22"(56 cm.) overall h. x 26"l. x 12"d. 17"Ballerina. Posed upon a rectangular-shaped wooden
platform with classic Vichy styling and velvet cover is a bisque-headed ballerina with blue
glass eyes,artfully painted facial features,closed mouth,blonde mohair wig over cork
pate,carton torso with voluptuous female shape,long slender legs (one posed on tiptoe,the
other arched in graceful dance pose),carton arms hinged at the elbows,silk and tulle ballerina
costume. A paper mache headed musician with ebony black complexion,handsome
expression,brown glass eyes,smiling closed mouth with beaded teeth,black fleecy hair,carton
body is seated to each side. Condition: generally excellent,mechanism and music function
well. Comments: Vichy,circa 1880,when wound,two musical tunes play,the ballerina twirls and
moves his arms to and fro as though a complicated dance sequence,while the musicians play
banjo or drum,moving their heads side to side in a circular motion. Value Points: very rare
automaton in wonderful state of preservation,the beautiful movements are fluid and
elegant,lending a notion of many more motions than the seven that actually occur.