Theriault's auction weekend, May 2-3 at the Westin Governor Morris Hotel, Morristown, New Jersey

Theriault's will be having a weekend of auctions in New Jersey at the Historic Westin Governor Morris Hotel in Morristown, New Jersey on Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3, 2015. For sale will be many fine antique dolls and automata. Among the automata is a superb piece by Henri Phalibois. Shown here is an antique Conjuror by Leopold Lambert of Paris.

Here is where you can get more information on Theriault's auction weekend, May 2-3, 2015.

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Beautiful old style automata by Gale and Andrew Bantock

Check out this automaton by Gale and Andrew Bantock. Gale is a 12th-scale miniaturist and model-maker. Gale's figures are all hand-sculpted one-of-a-kind models, normally clothed using a mixture of decorated paper, leather, and material. Her work has been featured in books and magazines around the world with a numerous cover features.

This piece features a classical scene of musicians playing a duet on piano and cello (or at least I think it is, perhaps its a viola). A number of other things in the scene are animated including a parrot in its cage and a cat hiding in a basket. The level of detail is really impressive.

Here is were you can see more miniatures by Gale Bantock.

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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Autoperipatetikos - Clockwork driven walking doll

Here is a delightful video of the inner workings of a spring-driven walking doll courtesy of the good folks at The House of Automata.

The Autoperipatetikos (meaning "walking-about-by-itself" in Greek) was invented by Enoch Rice Morrison and patented in 1862. Though it certainly wasn't the first mechanical walking figure, it was among the first American toys to be sold in Europe. To that point, most mechanical originated from Europe.

You can read more about the Autoperipatetikos in Mary Hillier's book Automata & mechanical toys: An illustrated history.

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Keeping the tradition of Japanese Karakuri alive

Here is a wonderful short film about Hideki Higashino -- one of a few artisans still working on Japanese Karakuri. He learned the tradition from his father. The film was shot by Matthew Allard.

From the video description:

Japan has always been on the forefront of cutting edge robotics. Its roots can be traced back 200-300 years during the Edo period when skilled craftsmen created automata (self-operating machines). Using nothing more than pulleys and weights they were able to make the Karakuri (Japanese automata) perform amazing tasks. Japan's modern day robots can be traced back to the Karakuri. Today, Hideki Higashino is one of the few remaining craftsmen who is determined to keep the history and tradition of Japanese Karakuri alive.

Here is a link to more Karakuri posts here on The Automata / Automaton Blog.

[ Thanks Eric! ]

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