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Details
A fine Equilibriste automaton by Vichy,
with papier-mâché head, smiling mouth, white mohair wig, fixed brown glass eyes with painted feather eyebrows and red scarab beatle painted on the forehead, the massive going-barrel movement in the base driving six-air (operatic) cartel cylinder movement and four cams causing the clown to rise on both hands into a horizontal position on the swaying ladder, look up and raise his right hand three times in increasing arcs as his body lifts to a vertical position and his legs (originally) bend, then slowly return to a standing position with both hands on the ladder, in original silk one-piece suit trimmed with glass beads and sequins, with one green and one yellow sleeve, matching ruff and bottle-green velvet bolero jacket, an applied sequinned beatle motif on the chest and (defective) moon motif on the back -- 43in. (110cm.) high, (left hand cracked, base lacking dumbells), with Vichy crank-key.
with papier-mâché head, smiling mouth, white mohair wig, fixed brown glass eyes with painted feather eyebrows and red scarab beatle painted on the forehead, the massive going-barrel movement in the base driving six-air (operatic) cartel cylinder movement and four cams causing the clown to rise on both hands into a horizontal position on the swaying ladder, look up and raise his right hand three times in increasing arcs as his body lifts to a vertical position and his legs (originally) bend, then slowly return to a standing position with both hands on the ladder, in original silk one-piece suit trimmed with glass beads and sequins, with one green and one yellow sleeve, matching ruff and bottle-green velvet bolero jacket, an applied sequinned beatle motif on the chest and (defective) moon motif on the back -- 43in. (110cm.) high, (left hand cracked, base lacking dumbells), with Vichy crank-key.
Provenance
A birthday present to the vendor from her grandfather in 1942.
Literature
Christian Bailly (1987), Automata, The Golden Age, 1848 - 1014, p. 231.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
Further details
END OF SALE