A bisque head portraying Mephistopheles with dramatically stylized features of the devil as portrayed in Faust, very angular face with elongated nose, seductively smiling expression, brown glass eyes, incised wrinkles, pointy ears, has carton body and torso, and sculpted bisque hands, and is posed in theatrical performing stance. He holds a wooden mandolin, and is wearing an extravagant costume of cerise and burgundy silk and velvet, with fitted leggings, felt slippers, cape, cap, and has black velvet purse with silver trim, and a silver sword. The head and hands are each signed L.B. Depose. Movements: he moves his head in a circular nodding and side-to-side movement, and strums the mandolin. Mephistopheles figured as the pivotal character of the Lambert line, the composition-head version being listed as No. 1 in their catalog. This, the bisque version, is exceptionally rare, the only one known in the world. As the automata remained in the possession of the Lambert family until 1987,then passing into the collection of Christian Bailly, it is possible the model was a prototype or special commission that was created only this once. In his book, Automata, the Golden Year, Christian Bailly wrote of this bisque model, "The head and hands are so beautifully sculpted that they appear to be alive, the face's extraordinary expressiveness, the malicious look in the eyes, the almost palpable wrinkles, the hands' graceful pose, all are worthy of a master sculptor." France, circa 1890. 36" (90 cm). Three movements. Four tunes.