魔术戏剧院音乐玩偶（出自Renou），1895年前后

Depicting a lady magician with Jumeau bisque head stamped in red "Déposé, Tête Jumeau, 7", open mouth, fixed blue paperweight eyes with finely-painted lashes, pierced ears with earrings, blonde mohair wig on cork pate, papier-mâché hands holding wand and a string connected to the theatre curtain, on velvet-covered base containing coin-operated going-barrel motor that drives three cams with four levers and single-air cylinder movement, dressed in rose satin and silk crêpe costume trimmed with sequins and beaded appliqués, height 26 ½ in. (67 cm) including bonnet (coin-trip restored, draw and slot replaced, professionally redressed in antique fabric). The magician bows her head, raps on the theatre roof three times and then raises the curtain to reveal a comical figure with small body and large head, who moves his arms and left leg as though dancing. The curtain drops and the magician knocks on the theatre again, as though summoning another actor to the stage. When the curtain rises a second time, the figure behind has changed. There is a sequence of five different faces: a man in a fez, a professorial person with a beard, a knight, a clown and a grinning green-faced character. This is the large version of Renou’s Magic Theatre. The smaller and more frequently seen measures around 16 in., whereas this example is almost twice the height: one of the largest automata by this maker to have appeared at auction. This is only the second example of its size that we have seen to date. A spectacular magician automaton featuring a beautiful Jumeau bébé and a surprising series of actions.

– Provenance: Ex-collection of Paul Gendre, Lyon, 1983.

– Literature: C. Bailly, "Automata, the Golden Age", p. 192.