Depicting Pierrot writing to "Madame la Lune" by lamp light, with plaster-composition head, fixed blue glass eyes, articulated eyelids, arms and right wrist, in cream satin costume and felt hat trimmed with red pom-poms, the figure's torso containing going-barrel motor and two-air cylinder movement, with walnut writing desk, chair and walnut-veneered base, ht. 24 in. (63 cm), base 13 ½ x 21 ¼ in. (34 x 54 cm), with acorn-form stop/start and pierced brass key. – Pierrot simulates writing with realistic motions of his right arm and wrist. As the lamp light dims, he pauses, his head falls and his eyelids close as though on the verge of sleep. Waking, he looks around, turns up the lamp and continues writing. – The effect of waxing and waning light in the working oil lamp is created by a weighted lever beneath the table, which raises and lowers the wick during the sequence. – An excellent replica of Gustave Vichy's classic automaton from c. 1895.