Musical automaton "Lady in front of a mirror"
Musical automaton "Lady in front of a mirror"
France, Paris
Circa 1895
Bisque porcelain, papier-mâché, wood, fabric, metal, mirror, lace; sewing, painting, joinery, mechanical works
59 x 24 x 42 cm
The automaton featuring a young lady is positioned in front of a table with four turned legs, covered in pink fabric. A shaped mirror rests at an angle against a bracket made of fabric-wrapped rods.
The automaton's four-cam control mechanism and the musical movement with musical comb, pinned cylinder, and spring drive are housed inside the table, with winding hole and on/off button located on the right side.When the spring is wound and the mechanism is activated, a melody plays, and both of the lady's arms move up and down and side to side, as if she is fanning herself and looking into the small mirror. At the same time, she smoothly turns her head left and right, and lowers and raises it. All movements repeat several times to the musical accompaniment.
2260/ММП