Head with a Conscience Automaton by Jan Zalud, c. 1987

Carved and polished English lime, depicting a human head on a pedestal, with articulated mouth eyes and cranium, the hand-turned mechanism causing the eyes to blink and the mouth to open as the top of the head lifts to reveal a smaller figure peering over the edge, ht. 7 ½ in. (19 cm), mechanism sticking, movement of right eye loose (adjustable), the underside incised "JZ". - Provenance: Purchased at the Exhibition of Automata (18 June to 11 July 1987) at the Old Forge Gallery in Elstead, Surrey. "Head with a Conscience" was No. 56 in the exhibition catalog, which accompanies this lot. - References: https://www.janzalud.co.uk; Andrea Robertson, "Museum of Automata", p. 76 (similar piece), 79. - Jan Zalud: "Enjoyment of carving, an obsession with faces and their expressions, and a wish to set them into motion to create a certain mood (be it amusing or disturbing) is the main reason behind my work. All this is the result of collecting driftwood on Sunderland beaches to build a couple of marionettes as presents and while some time away."

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)