Depicting a dancer in a rocky Catalan landscape, a monastery on the crest of a hill and traditional stone buildings with painted beams in the foreground. The dancer with unmarked bisque head by François Gaultier, closed mouth, fixed light-blue eyes outlined in dark-blue, pierced ears, bisque hands, polychrome satin skirt, silk shawl and black lace mantilla. Her shapely papier-mâché body contains the original working going-barrel clockwork motor that causes the figure to tilt her head gracefully, twist her left arm and kick her right leg. A separate electric motor causes her to rotate. – In marbled wood cabinet with glazed upper section and paneled base, figure approx. 18 ½ in. (47 cm), cabinet: approx. ht. 80 x wd. 37 ½ x dp. 25 in. (202 x 94 x 63,5 cm), unobtrusive chip on left eye rim, small section missing from nape of neck – covered by the wig. – Provenance: Former collection of Atracciones Apolo, an indoor amusement park opened by Josep Vallés Rovira on Parallel Avenue, Barcelona, in 1935. One of the park's most famous attractions was the Museo las Maravillosas Figuras en sus Dioramas (Museum of Marvellous Figures in their Dioramas), a collection of 19th century French automata in fantasy settings designed and painted by the artist Martí Llauradó. – According to an article published by Edición del Domingo on 19 August 1990, the Apolo's automata museum closed in 1957. The automata were stored, forgotten, for almost fifty years until acquired by the Museum of Toys and Automata in Verdú. A rare and historic piece from one of Spain's oldest amusement parks.– References: "A Great and Magical Collection", museum catalogue, pp. 313–325; Ròmul Brotons, "Parcs d'Atracciones de Barcelona", pp. 143–147; Auction Team Breker, 7. November 2015, Lot 628 and 5. November 2016, Lot 530 for other Apolo automata from the series.