Musical picture wall clock with automaton
Musical picture wall clock with automaton
France
1870
Maison Wurtel, E. Piéfort successeur: fabrique et magasin d'horlogerie
Wood, cardboard, enamel, steel, brass, glass; gilding, lithography, painting, mechanical and carpentry work
75 x 58 x 22 cm
Picture–clock is a combination of the painted image and a genuine clock with the dial being the integral part of the plot, musical mechanism and the layout with the automaton. The picture in wooden frame with ornament, covered with leaf-gold and glass is connected by hooks-clasps with wooden case, which houses the automaton mechanism, the clock and the musical movement. Winding hole for winding the mechanisms is on the case left lateral side, three buttons for switching on the mechanisms and changeover melodies are on the case bottom. The painting features modest interior of the barbershop where three anthropomorphic monkeys: a client and two hairdressers. Advertisements, picture, guitar and inscriptions are on the on slovenly walls. A table with barber’s habiliments tools, drapery and bread is to the right. A handy man sits with the comb behind his ear, combing a wig on a barber’s block. A shaver with straight razor in his hand bents over a frightened lathery customer sitting on the chair. A cityscape with church, tree and houses under blue sky is visible through the doorway. Cupboard tableware is behind the open door against the wall. White enamel clock dial is on the wall to the left. It is with Roman numerals for hours’ designation, minutes’ divisions, two black hands, the image of pendulum and three weights under the dial. The clock mechanism is pendulum, with an hour striking and two spring motors, musical movement with pinned cylinder for six tunes, sound comb and two spring motors. One of six melodies sounds every hour, the automaton is activated, and monkeys’ heads and hands with equipment begin to move as well as the client’s head.
Six popular in the middle of the 19th century melodies are encoded on
the cylinder, for instance the valse “Rosita” by French conductor and composer
of light music Lois-Antoine Jullien (23.04.1812–14.03.1860), the first
publication of which was in 1840, the melody of the overture to the opera “Zelmira”
by the Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini (29.02.1792–13.11.1868) which
premiered in 1822 and others.
1791/ММП