French Musical Automaton "Elegant Lady at Her Piano" by Gustav Vichy

14 Watching

Live Auction

18" (46 cm.) h. seated. 17" x 17" base. A velvet-covered wooden stage presents a vignette of an elegant lady posed on a stool at her piano, ready for her performance; the lady with bisque swivel head, blue glass eyes, closed mouth, nicely painted features, pierced ears, blonde mohair flowing curls, carton torso and legs, metal hands, is exquisitely costumed in silk and lace. The piano is of fine rosewood with ebonized finish borders and sides, bone and ebony spring-tension keys, and features shaped columns, ormolu two-arm candleholders and side handles, and gilt metal urn with silk flowers. When wound, the lady pianist is designed to move in a realistic manner, turning and nodding her head, and watching her hands on the keys, while her forearms move sideways across the keyboard, and, independently up and down as her hands approach the keys; meanwhile music plays, four operatic tunes emanate from a 52-note Swiss movement. Condition: doll and piano are excellent, mechanism functions although slowly and would benefit from adjustment. Comments: Gustav Vichy, Paris, circa 1878, an early model from the illustrious firm, possibly created for, and exhibited at, the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris where Vichy exhibited his automata for the first time. Value Points: the luxury automaton is enhanced by finest craftsmanship of piano, and lovely antique bisque lady.