Sale 5221
London, South Kensington
|
31 May 2007
Price realised
GBP 9,600
Estimate
A fine Tightrope Balancer automaton attributed to Phalibois the garden scene set with central tree in bloom, decorated with silk flowers with painted highlights, the lower canopy with two birds in blue and bottle-green plumage, the trunk with further painted textures in brown, tightrope acrobat girl with bisque head, composition hands, dressed in 18th-century style performer's clothes, holding blue chevron flags in each hand, below blue cord rope supported by 'A' frame, two girl musicians in similar outfits seated upon naturalistic ground with further flowers, playing an oboe and violin, actions for head, arms, hands and acrobat balance illusion actuated with tabatiêre musical movement playing two-airs, with pull-string wind, change/repeat and start/stop controls on right-hand side for music, above key-wind for automaton, in ebonised oval base, circa 1890 -27½in. (69.8cm) high, the base 20in. (50.8cm) wide
Contact Client Service
info@christies.com
New York +1 212 636 2000
London +44 (0)20 7839 9060
infoasia@christies.com
Asia +852 2760 1766
A similar model made by Phalibois entitled 'The Trapeze Artist' was sold in these rooms as lot 101 on April 12 2001.
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.
Pre-Lot Text
MUSICAL AUTOMATA AND OBJETS DE VERTU
From Hong Kong to Thailand via Japan, five magnificent contemporary homes with stunning views of mountains and cityscapes
In the 1960s Robert Indiana made LOVE, a work that seemed to embody 1960s idealism. But there was also a darker side to this painter of the American dream