Peasant and Pig Musical Automaton by Vichy, c. 1900

Depicting a young man perched on the back of a rush-seated chair and resting a piglet on his knee as though it were a baby, with expressive plaster-composition character head, rosy cheeks, upturned nose, brown glass eyes, articulated eyelids and lower lip, dressed in original embroidered satin waistcoat, striped velvet breeches, felt top hat and sections of the very worn tailcoat, the piglet with articulated neck and tongue, with going-barrel movement driving five cams and two-air cylinder movement, ht. 31 in. (79 cm) including hat, mainly original paint – some retouch around eyebrows and lower lip, repairs on peasant's fingers and pig's left foreleg. With crank-key and acorn-form stop/start. – The peasant turns and nods his head, blinks and moves his lower lip as though coaxing the piglet to eat the "tartin" which he offers. The piglet looks up at its master, turns its head and sticks out its tongue while the peasant stamps his foot and heaves his shoulders in mirth. – Literature: Bailly, "Automata, the Golden Age", p. 98; Auction Team Breker, 16 November 2013, Lot 427 for a similar piece. – A classic Vichy automaton, in good working condition.

布雷克拍品等级是为了方便竞买人判断拍卖品的成色而设置的。布雷克等级用1到6级来标注外观和功能的成色，(从非常好到非常差)。 在目录图册里用括号里的2个数字来表示，前一个数字表示外观成色的级别，后一个数字表示功能成色的级别。如(3/2)表示外观成色是3(满意的)，功能成色2(好)。 成色 定义参照下列标准： 1 - 非常好 (未使用过，没有使用痕迹) 2 - 好 (新，极少的使用痕迹) 3 - 满意的 (普通的使用痕迹) 4 - 及格的 (明显的使用痕迹，某个非主要部件是后配的) 5 - 有缺陷的 (极明显的使用痕迹, 某个主要部件是后配的，功能上有缺陷，需要修理) 6 - 非常差 (严重破损, 缺少重要部件)