$16,450
Renou Automaton of a Magician, with Jumeau bisque head impressed M , straight neck, closed mouth, large blue paperweight eyes, pierced ears, cork pate, brown mohair wig falling in ringlets, bisque hands holding a wand in the right and the lid of a die in the left, on velvet-covered base with ball feet, Renou key and stop / start, the going-barrel movement playing one air, in iridescent lavender silk jacket with lace sleeves and ribbons over painted cream silk skirt and bodice edged in cut-velvet, matching slippers and bonnet, ht. 16 in., (table and contents restored), four movements. Note: The magician nods her head, waves her wand and lifts the lid of the die to reveal an empty space, before lowering it quickly, nodding her head and raising it again, this time revealing a grinning head peeping over the edge. Renou produced a series of whimsical magicians, including two other variations of this piece: one with a puppet booth and a series of five rotating heads, and another with three heads in a shooting range which dissapear and then reappear one by one in the die. The bisque heads of Renou automata, which have a distinct expression different from those of other makers, are usually marked "M", indicating a special commission from the Jumeau factory. Literature: Barbara Krafft, (1991), Traumwelt die Puppen , p. 154.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2006-07-29
