Within a decorative box with patterned papers and gilded edging is another box with glass front protecting a delicate hand-painted countryside scene, with a mill and waterwheel in the foreground, a bridge with people walking and a boat with oarsman beneath, a small river, mountains and sky in the background. An original paper label on the reverse reads "Tharinieres" and contains insturctions for creating the mechanical action.
Movements: When the sand pours through the hidden funnels, it causes the water wheel to turn, and the boat to rock back and forth.
Historical References: The celebrated clock and toy maker Xavier Tharin filed a patent on June 2, 1852 concerning a mechanical tableau that operated by a sand mechanism. In his patent he described the system which called for an hourglass funnel, while he simultaneously lamented the "unbridled competition" that had allowed others to steal his designs in the past. The description of his patent is detailed in Encyclopedia of French Dolls by Francois and Danielle Theimer. The system of sand mechanism was used by Tharin on large tableaux and on miniature boxed models, such as this, that he named "Tharinieres". Other examples of Tharin's mechanical tableaux are #26, 39, 41, and 101 in this book.