Large Working Musical Automaton,19thC.Music Box, Paper Mache, Wind-Up , VIDEO for Sale

Large Working Musical Automaton,19thC.Music Box, Paper Mache, Wind-Up , VIDEO For Sale

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Large Working Musical Automaton,19thC.Music Box, Paper Mache, Wind-Up , VIDEO :
$5364.01

This is an Antique musical Automaton approximately 26 inches high(660mm).
in good working condition.It has blue glass eyes.
Possibly French,maybe someone knows the maker,it does look like it comes
from an experienced makers workshop.
It stands freely on its own,though sways slightly when the mechanism is playing
It has some lead in the bottom of its feet as far as I can tell.
It has a mechanism with a stiff mainspring which is key wound.
I cant say how long it will play for as I didnt want to fully wind it up.
There is an on/off lever under the arm which stops/starts the mechanism
by halting the little vane.The wooden box that it is in, isnt included in
the sale as it didnt come in it,I just have been keeping it there for safety sake!
See The Video Below For Working Automaton
As well as playing a tune on the inbuilt music box,
It has five other separate movements:
Head from side to side, Tongue goes in and out,
Eyelids come up and down,Head goes up and down
And hand strums the instrument.
All movements are working though may need adjusting or replacing of strings or wires,
or other minor repairs, im not an expert on these kind of automatons. If you
watch the video,you get a better sense of how it functions.
The Instrument is not present though it looks like it should be some kind of Mandolin or Lute.
There is two wires on the front of the chest which looks like it held the instrument.
It came to me with the chest and belly covering off and I have have left it that way.
There is some wear on the inside of the belly cover where it looks like one of the levers was rubbing,but this doesnt affect the workings.
The levers and cogs all look hand made and there is various signs of older repairs(see photos)
There is the remains of I think coir or coconut fibre covering the left arm and this has been shedding and this has left a dust over the internal workings.
The whole would benefit from a clean.
The main body and head are made of Paper Mache and there are repairs needed
here and there.The paint is flaking in various places and needs looking at.
The eyelid line which is made of brass comes down and back up during the music cycle,but it does look like there would have been a diaphragm to make it look like the eye is closing.
The tongue is made of metal,painted red .
The piece at the top of the legs is wood,as is the piece at the top of the mechanism.
This Automaton will be send insured by courier,hence the high shipping costs.
It can also be collected in Dublin,Ireland with no postage cost.
The Automaton will be very well packaged and padded.
If you have any questions or require close ups of any parts let me know.
I intend to let this sale run its whole course and wont be accepting any requests for
a buy it now price.
Thanks and happy offerding!Get your own valid XHTML YouTube embed code

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Large Working Musical Automaton,19thC.Music Box, Paper Mache, Wind-Up , VIDEO For Sale

Large Working Musical Automaton,19thC.Music Box, Paper Mache, Wind-Up , VIDEO : $5364.01

Large Working Musical Automaton,19thC.Music Box, Paper Mache, Wind-Up , VIDEO :
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