A fine Lambert Clown Mandoline Player automaton

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Details

A fine Lambert Clown Mandoline Player automaton
with painted papier-maché head, original blue and orange dyed wig, bisque hands, blue and yellow painted silk with lace ruff and cuffs, diagonal panel strips of yellow ribbon on bolero, blue shoes and a tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl inlaid mandolin, seated on turned ebonised stool, on red silk velvet covered base edged with wool fringed braids, key and start/stop button under back cover and operating, hands, head, upper body, legs and a surprise appearance of a tongue to a single musical air, circa 1910 --23in. (58.5cm) high

Literature

See Automata - The Golden Age, pages 350 and 351, for a similar piece see page 181.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

There are two catalogue numbers for this model, namely Nos. 44 and 49. The 44 model is seated upon a four legged stool and 49 is seated upon a turned stool, but playing a guitar instead. There may have been a commission choice to choose elements from each of these pieces

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