$8,500
368. Kalanag (Helmut Schreiber). Kalanag’s Vanishing Lamp. German, ca. 1940. A lit “petroleum lamp” – which may be examined – is covered with a silk foulard and lifted from the framework table on which it rests. The top of the chimney can be seen through a hole in the cloth. The lamp is tossed in the air, where it vanishes, the foulard fluttering to the floor. Intricate mechanical device uses roller-blinds, a mechanically operated trap, pull, and black art principles to accomplish the trick. Apparatus likely manufactured by Gutav Fischer, Kalanag’s mechanic. Accompanied by documents to and from William Birdsall, who met and befriended Kalanag during WWII while serving in the US Army, and to whom the lamp was given by Kalanag (whose home in Munich Birdsall visited and was, “untouched by bombs. Must have had a magic spell on it.”). Table stands 31” high. With two wooden packing cases.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2013-10-26
