Oct 26, 2006 - Sale 2090

Sale 2090 - Lot 14

Price Realized: $ 36,000
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 25,000 - $ 40,000
(AUTOMATON.) Fine musical automaton with his original music featuring a monkey conjuror accompanied by two monkey musicians, with the magician performing five different tricks with cups and balls. All figures with moving heads, mouths, and arms, with the musicians bowing their stringed instruments; figures are dressed in their original elaborate velvet costumes. Automaton stands 22 inches high, 27 inches wide, and 12 inches deep. In working order. Circa 1880
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Marvelous operative automaton, with the monkey magician performing the following tricks in this order: magician gestures with his head while he lifts the two cups showing two white balls set on white plates; he continues to gesture lowering the cups and then lifting them again to display different color balls, one black and the other beige; he continues his act with a third lowering of the cups which when lifted display the black and beige balls on the opposite plates; this is followed by a similar display where both balls are red; and for a finale when the cups are raised there is nothing under one cup and a dice under the other.