![]() They were if you like a trademark of his work. The use of animals, particularly by Phalibois, is usually confined to monkeys. Be afraid, be very afraid when this springs into life. ![]() Whatever makes you scared of an automaton, you will find your scare here, with this superb offering from Jean Phalibois. Or perhaps you have never seen a monkey automaton whose dress is peeling off in shreds and whose eyes are following you around the room. high - (51 x 25 x 61cm).ĭoes automata seem scary to you? Perhaps that late night horror movie you saw the other evening contained an old automaton which made you go white with fright. Confirms that all clothes, figures and setting are the original from day one. Illustration in pictorial format on p.162 in Automata - The Golden Age, C. Most of the mother's clothes going threadbare in a conveniently artistic manner. In exceptional untouched and fully originally dressed condition - still operating as intended. Monkey figures each with finely painted and moulded papier-mache heads, glass eyes, carved, shaped and painted wooden hands and feet articulated jaws and teeth and gum detailed exceptionally, baby in bundle with silk apron, mother with fine lace bonnet finished with black and gold trim ribbon ties, faded red, cream and light blue dress with lace front, plain dress fall with tied behind, double ringed gold detail cuffs and stockings, all set on the wonderfully textured and colored naturalistic modeled base featuring flowers, rocks, shoots and fallen leaves from above. Mother monkey sits upon a hidden stool, under a mature flowering tree, with the twisted branches arching over the center of the scene, each leaf starting to turn as fall begins, with painted papier-mache trunk, pressed silk leaves and textured branches to very realistic detail. With pull-wind tabatáire Palliard movement numbered 2171, with single-section comb and automatic snail wheel for air change, mounted within the ebonized base which also bears the very rare and fully legible maker's stamp in mauve ink. When the musical wind is pulled, the separate key for the automaton motor is wound and the start/stop actuated, the automaton bursts into life, with the mother monkey first opening and closing eyes as baby's bottle in her right hand is raised and lowered, shaken by twisting around, before swooping her head towards her cradled baby and arching the bottle teat to baby's lips, holding in position as baby sucks at the bottle teat, mother arches the bottle back to her side again as baby finishes sucking and mother's eyes open and closes again straight ahead at the viewer, all accompanied by the two musical airs played consecutively. One of the scariest untouched Golden Age automatons ever to surface. ![]() 596 from Silber & Fleming catalogue, 1885 - Phalibois retailers in London, About An astounding and very rare antique monkey mother-feeding-baby musical automaton, by Jean Phalbois,Ĭatalogue No. ![]()
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