Picture Automaton of a River Landscape with Timepiece, c. 1900

Germany, chromolithographed paper on card, depicting a town on the river with moving water and windmills, moving stream, figures crossing a bridge, a bell tolling in church tower and a smith repairing a wagon wheel while two children swing on the shaft like a see-saw, with one movement for the timepiece and another (with cut-card cams, pinned wheels and pulleys) for the automaton, in grained-paper-covered case with wood-and-gesso frame, wd. 16 x 20 ½ in. (41 x 52 cm), backboard split, governor missing fans (fast-running), would benefit from sympathetic restoration. - Note: The successor of Ernst Holzweissig of Leipzig offered a very similar piece in his 1898 wholesale catalog in the category of mechanical pictures without music: "No. 126. Rheinlandschaft mit Uhr".

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)