Diana and Stag Automaton at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts is actually a princely drinking game

Falk Keuten of the Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik blog wrote to let us know about an automaton in my own backyard. Given that he's in Germany, it's fair to say that he is a very well-informed man!

A new exhibit at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts features an automaton of Diana, goddess of the hunt, riding a stag. The piece is in the museum's new Kunstkammer gallery, which now displays the type of thing that wealthy individuals in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries might have collected.

The piece itself is made from cast and chased silver -- some parts gilded, some painted with lacquer. The automaton was designed as a form drinking game at courtly banquets. It moves about the table and stops arbitrarily. If it stops near you, it's your turn to drink.

Here's the full article in The Boston Globe on the ‘Diana and Stag Automaton’ at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

Here's the MFA's page about the new Kunstkammer Gallery.

Many pieces such as this are document in the wonderful book titled Clockwork Universe: German Clocks and Automata, 1550-1650

From the book description:

This book depicts the golden age of German clockmaking. The volume offers the most comprehensive examination of the German Renaissance clock ever undertaken. From the founding of the clockmaker's guilds to the eventual shifting of the craft's supremacy from German-speaking central Europe to Holland and England after the Thirty Year's War. Includes contributions from 14 scholars, over 200 illustrations and technical drawings.

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Incredible life-sized peacock automaton by James Cox created in 1777

The folks over at the amazing Atlas Obscura blog did a great round-up of animal themed automata the other day. Among them was this life size peacock automaton created in 1777 by James Cox. The automaton is The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

From the video description:

Peacock clock at the State Hermitage Museum in Russia. Made in the 18th century by James Cox, an English clock maker, and sold to Potemkin (a favorite of the Catherine the Great) as spare parts. It took 9 years for a Russian mechanic named Ivan Kulibin to put it together again. Well worth it. It is run only once a year during June to preserve the mechanism, so you have very few chance to see it work. Made of gilded bronze silver and glass, it measures 3 meters in height. The dial of the clock is embedded into the head of a mushroom with a dragonfly moving on top to indicate the time.

Here is the full article at Atlas Obsura titled Five Astounding Animal Automata.

[ Thanks Falk! ]

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Exquisite Jaquet Droz watch features a complex bird automaton

First off all, note the name on this watch. Right, that's the same famous Jaquet-Droz often mentioned on this blog in the context of the amazing writing, drawing, and music-playing automata.

This amazing timepiece is what is known as a "minute repeater", meaning that it audibly chimes the hours and minutes on demand. Very hand in the dark and very complicated to pull off mechanically.

You could stop there, and I for one, would be impressed. But that's not all.

The most notable thing about this watch is that it has proper automaton within. Some automaton watches consist of a simple figure moving with the second hand. Not this one. Rather, this incredible watch features two birds tending their young in the nest. The birds move their hands and one spreads its wings. Meanwhile, the hungry chicks reach for their food and a hatchling emerges from an egg. That's a complicated automaton in any context. This is all done on the inside of a watch!

This watch comes in two varieties and can be yours for a price. It is $472,500 for the 18k red-gold version and $493,500 in 18k white gold and diamonds.

You saw it here first.

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400 year old gold skull automaton and clock

This incredible automaton features a beautiful clock underneath the skull cap. Over the course of a few minutes the mandible opens, then snaps shut all of a sudden. The snakes in two eye sockets alternately emerge and retreat. Created in 1610 by Nicolaus Schmidt der Junger, this skull automaton/mechanical clock recently sold for an astounding $135,000.

Here is is a more complete description and several large photographs of the 400 year old gold skull automaton and clock over at the Watchismo Times Blog.

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Ethiopian Caterpillar automaton by Maillardet

The Ethiopian Caterpillar is an exquisite automaton from 1820 going to auction at Sotheby's November sale in Geneva. The automaton is attributed to Henri Maillardet -- creator of the famous drawing automaton now at the Franklin Institute.

Only six automaton caterpillars are known to exist and only two of these are studded with diamond, emeralds, rubies, and turquoise as the one for sale by Sotheby's is. This is a fantastically rare, important, and valuable piece. The pre-auction estimates place its value somewhere between $350,000 to $450,000.

From the Sotheby's catalog:

The body realistically designed to represent a caterpillar comprising eleven jointed ring segments, framed by seed pearls, and decorated with translucent red enamel over an engine-turned ground, studded overall with gold-set rubies, turquoise, emeralds,and diamonds. The underside is decorated with champlevé black enamel. When the automaton movement is engaged, the caterpillar crawls realistically, its body moving up and down simulating the undulations of a caterpillar by means of a set of gilt-metal knurled wheels. The automata work is composed of a barrel, cam and two leavers all working together to create the crawling motion.

Here is the Sotheby's catalog listing for the The Ethiopian Caterpillar automaton by Maillardet.

[ Thanks Michael! ]

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Akribos 'Davinci' mechanical wrist watch

I still don't know all the much about watches. I do know that if you name something after Leonardo, pack in full of miniature gears, and make it move by mechanical means that you will get my attention. Hell, I don't even care if it tells time! (This one does, by the way, the picture is of the back of the watch.)

From the watch description:

Featuring a unique exposed-gear design, the Akribos XXIV Men's 'Davinci' Mechanical Gold Round Watch #AK406YG shows off the perfect marriage of form and function. Its skeleton dial and exhibition caseback combine to reveal engraved, gold-tone gears, which are complemented by the watch's gold-plated stainless steel case and bezel. Bright blue hour and minute hands with luminous-tips add a touch of color to unique design, and a small hand in the nine-o'clock position tracks seconds.

So, here's the other crazy thing about this watch...

List price: $749.00

Amazon's current price: $134.99

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You save: $614.01

You save 82%? Really?!? I honestly don't know, but that sure sounds good.

Here's where you can see more pictures and info for the Akribos 'Davinci' Mechanical Watch.

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