French Musical Automaton "Little Girl with her Toys" by Leopold Lambert

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15" (38 cm.) x 13" x 13". Seated upon a wooden platform with tapestry carpet is a bisque-head doll with blue glass eyes, mohair lashes, open mouth, porcelain teeth, blonde mohair wig, carton torso and lower legs, and bisque arms, wearing original aqua silk dress with lace collar and hem trimmed with silver beads, matching bonnet, holding a little all-bisque doll in matching costume in her left hand, while in her right hand she holds a rattle; arranged around her are toys comprising another all-bisque doll seated on a nodding-head donkey, and a carved bone ball and cup game. When wound, the doll looks to the left and leans forward, blinking her eyes, and lifting her little doll several times as though in play, then sitting back and nodding in contemplation of what to play next, and then lifting her right hand to shake the rattle. Her right foot kicks up and down in delight and music plays. Condition: generally excellent. Comments: Leopold Lambert, Paris, circa 1895, with original bisque head marked "S.H. 1039". The model was actually deposed by Lambert in 1894 as "mechanical bebe doll" who provided an endearing explanation of the toy: "I placed a child on the floor and surrounded him with his toys. I took careful note of the movements made by the child and I have managed to imitate the entire range of these movements". In both his written description and in the accompanying illustration, Lambert referred to "him", yet every example ever found of the model has portrayed a girl child at play. The present example has original rare red paper label "L.B. Brevet Paris", and paper tune label indicating the song Petit Paysanne.