Musical automaton, with glass dome
Musical automaton, with glass dome
France
Circa 1890
Wood, metal, glass, paper, cardboard painting; joinery, mechanical works, coloring, glasswork
82 x 53 x 27 cm
On the upper panel of an oval black wooden base on four turned supports, there is a model of a tower with a dormer window on a peaked roof, located on a steep ledge on the left side, and exotic trees with a waterfall on the right side.
The base houses a cam mechanism for controlling the automaton and a musical movement with a pinned cylinder, a musical comb, and a spring drive. On the base right side panel, there are two winding holes for winding the musical movement and the automaton, with two pull-out on/off buttons for the mechanisms located below.When the mechanisms are wound and turned on, a melody plays, the awning rises, a girl in the window opening tilts and raises her head, and the musicians move their right arms and heads, simulating the performance of a serenade, the waterfall flows, and then the awning lowers.
1941.1-3/ММП