The Bird catcher
Perpetual motion automaton - Nuremberg, early XIXe
Among earlier toys from Nuremberg, mostly inanimate or animated by manipulation of the toddler, there is one who uses the perpetual motion principle.
Thus, saving springs, gears and the risk of failure, their creator has included in the polychrome wood body of the figure, a mechanism such as a simple chip shot puts it in motion for several minutes.
The subject shows a travelling birdcatcher offering the day’s catch, locked in the cage she carries on her back. The merchant does not mince her words when she negotiates with customers as indicated by movement of her articulated jaw.
In a mint original condition. First decades of 19th century.
Hight 230mm
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