Late 19th Century automaton of a monkey in 18th Century style dress. Likely to be French, this piece shows all the hallmarks of J. Phalibois, one of the foremost makers of clockwork toys at the time. Relaxing under a tree of silk leaves, the monkey, smoking his pipe and knoking back a glass of claret has a papier-mâché head, articulated lips and eyes, and is dressed as a country gentleman taking a break from the shoot. A small rabbit runs out from below the tree, out of the hunter’s sight.
This piece is wound by a key and had two stoppers for the music and movement. It stands on an ebonised shaped base, which houses the inner mechanics. Circa 1880.
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