Jean Phalibois Automaton of a Monkey Artist

Description:

Jean Phalibois Automaton of a Monkey Artist, circa 1870, stamped on the movement J. Phalibois a Paris, with papier-mache head, articulated green glass eyes and leather-covered jaw, sitting beneath a blossoming bower, with brush in one hand and palette in the other, his left foot resting on the lowest strut of an easel holding a miniature picture of a monkey sculptor, a bottle of wine and a paper-covered artist's case at his feet, on ebonized base containing the two-air pull-string cylinder movement stamped J. Phalibois and the going-barrel automaton movement with six wood cams causing the artist to turn and nod his head, blink, chatter (visibly, not audibly),move his right arm horizontally to take color from the palette and then vertically as he applies it to the canvas, in the original faded pink satin jacket trimmed with metal-thread braid, lace-edged blue velvet breeches, ruffled shirt and matching hat, ht. 23 1/2 in., with tune-sheet.

Literature: Mary Hillier (1976),Automata & Mechanical Toys, p. 116 for a Silber & Fleming advertisement for this piece.
Estimate $5,000-8,000

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