07-29-200607-29-2006
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
2345Boston
July 29, 2006 10:00 AMCalender
584

Rare Automaton of a Shrinking Magician by Renou

Sell one like this
$18,800$16,000
Auction: Clocks, Watches & Scientific Instruments - 2345Location: BostonDate / Time: July 29, 2006 10:00AM

Description:

Rare Automaton of a Shrinking Magician by Renou, probably modeled as the Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with papier-mâché character head, brown glass eyes, prominent nose, open smiling mouth, curly brown lambskin wig, and bisque hands holding lorgnettes and wand (or club),standing behind a draped table with teapot, on velvet-covered base containing the going-barrel movement playing one air, in original printed satin waistcoat, cravat, rose satin jacket and iridesent gold silk breeches, ht. lowered 19 in., extended 21 in., (teapot repainted, base re-covered in old material).
Note: The magician waves his wand, raises the lorgnettes in his right hand, nods and peers over the lenses at the teapot. As though his vision is playing tricks on him, he slowly grows two inches in height (through pulleys in the legs),his head rises from his collar and he lowers his lorgnettes in amazement as the lid of the teapot lifts to reveal the nose and ears of a mouse. The mouse descends, the magician shrinks back to his normal height and the sequence begins again, six movements. The unusual modeling of the head and the curious costume suggest that the character of The Hatter in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, published in 1865, may have been the inspiration for this automaton. The story of Alice's travels in a world of reversed logic, anthropomorphic creatures and characters who change size seemingly at will would have amused an automaton maker like Renou, whose other work includes portraits that come to life as they are dusted and devils that spring from the telephone. The Hatter is generally believed to be based on Theophilus Carter, famous for his top hat and his invention of an alarm clock bed (which tipped the sleeper out when it was time to wake up) that he exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Another (incomplete) example of this automaton was previously exhibited in the collection of Athelstan Spilhaus.
Estimate $3,000-4,000

Keywords

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Shrinking Magician , magician , papier-mâché character head , Lewis Carroll, automaton maker