Musical automaton "Female сlown playing the chain"
Musical automaton "Female сlown playing the chain"
France, Paris
Circa 1890
Metal, fabric, bisque, wood; mechanical work, sewing, painting on bisque
48 x 16 x 15.5 cm
Inscriptions on the back of the head: “4/DX”
The automaton is crafted in the form of a female clown figure standing on a base with chamfered corners covered in red velvet and holding a chain made of wire rings. In her hands, the girl holds a chain composed of five golden and four silver wire rings. Housed inside the base is the automaton mechanism with a spring motor and a musical movement featuring a pinned cylinder and a comb. On the right side, there is a hole for a winding key and a pull activation knob.
When the automaton is activated, the girl's figure moves: her right hand raises and lowers, her head turns from side to side, and her tongue extends and retracts from her mouth. The action is accompanied by a melody played by the musical movement with a single-melody pinned cylinder and a comb with tuned teeth. A winding key is included.
2171.1-2/ММП