A very rare ‘Chinese Opium Smoker’ Automaton will lead Tennants Auctioneers’ Scientific and Musical Instruments, Cameras and Tools Sale on 24th January, when it will be offered with an estimate of £5,000-7,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium). The automaton was made in France by Gustave Vichy, who is renowned for his fine mechanical figures.
Gustave Vichy (1839-1904) was born into a family business that made mechanical toys; however, when he was 23 his father went bankrupt, and Gustave set up his own factory to make fine musical automatons. Beautifully crafted, the factory made every part of the automatons in a wide variety of materials, which were all clothed in fashionable garments made by his wife Maria.
The present example, which is in superb working condition having been sensitively restored recently, depicts a Chinese gentleman garbed in Guan headdress and full silk robe and silk shirt with decorative cuffs, matching red silk shoes and holding a parasol. With his right hand holding an opium pipe, when running, the complex but smooth action sees him opening and closing his eyes, turning his head and opening his mouth before bringing the pipe to his lips, inhaling before returning his hand down and turning his head and exhaling. The automaton is made with gessoed papier-mâché head and hands, with a full set of teeth, glass eyes and a moustache and wig.
Also on offer in the sale is a Fine and Rare ‘Drunkard by a Lamppost’ Whistling Automaton, made by Karl Griesbaum in the late 1930s. The polychromed carved limewood figure of a man, shabbily dressed, leans against a lamppost. When activated, he turns his head, the lamp lights up, and he whistles ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow’. In fully restored working condition, the automaton is offered with an estimate of £500-800.
The Scientific and Musical Sale will also offer a broad range of musical instruments, including part of a Private Collection of Guitars, along with cameras, music boxes, tools and more.
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