Home | List of Articles | Submit an Article | Contact Us

How Unique Automata Make Valuable Assets to A Music Box or Antique Collector

Copyright 2006 Monique Hawkins

Music box and antique collectors should consider not limiting themselves to inlaid music boxes, musical jewelry boxes, carousel music boxes, antique clocks, antique cars, antique jewelry and the like. Collecting unique automata is also very rewarding. In addition, some also contain musical movements. Three interesting automata pieces are the "striking jacks", "automaton musicians", and the "lady who plays the organ" by Henry-Louis Jaquet and Leschot.

Striking Jacks

Automaton is a musical, articulated figure moved by mechanics. This particular form of automata was clock driven. In fact, many of these automata were in the clocks themselves with the musical figures utilized as "striking jacks" which sounded the hours. David Tallis, in "Music Boxes: A Guide for Collectors" states: "The oldest striking jack in the world is in Wells Cathedral where the clock made in 1392 has several automaton figures. The striking jack, 'Jack Blandifier', kicks the bells with his heels to strike the quarters and also sounds the hour by hitting a bell in front of him with a hammer. Moreover, the clock at Wells has an astronomical dial, above which two knights on horseback have a joust at the hour until one is struck off his horse." Finding a unique collectible such as this would be tremendous for the music box and antique collector.

Automaton Musicians

Automaton musicians are figures on clocks, which were crafted to represent musicians and musical groups. The music figures appeared to play their particular instrument, which actually looked quite realistic when viewing the movement of the fingers. The flute player and drummer were considered masterpieces because the music was played by air blowing from the figures lips into the instrument along with using their figures in the keyholes. This was quite a piece of master craftsmanship and would be a highly valuable asset for any collector.

Lady Who Plays the Organ

Developed by Henry-Louis Jaquet-Droz and Leschot, this automata musical figure was a lady whose body moved while she played the organ with her fingers. 5 tunes were played and the lady's eyes and arms moved at this time. What really was quite a sight was the lady doing a curtsy before the next tune was played. Discovering an item such as this would be a treat and a rare find.

For the music box and antique collector, these unique automata would be fine additions. Why not begin the search today?

Related Articles:

Classic Orson Welles, Writers Boot Camp, People's Choice Awards, NAMM Music Market, Trailblazers of - The January 4 HDTV Business Conference in Las Vegas is a one-day executive-level event that covers topics in the HDTV industry, including: HD content, ipTV, mobile video, MSO competitiveness, digital rights management, HD DVD vs. Blu-ray, MD-TV, LCD-TV, PDP-TV, retailing and merchandizing, new channels of distribution and who is making money. Keyno ...

Patriotic Music: Surprising Secrets About Those Flag-Waving Sounds - Whether played by a marching band, an orchestra, or a rock group, there are patriotic tunes that everyone in America finds familiar, exciting and uplifting. But how much do you know about how these songs were created? And what do you know about the people who wrote them? There are some surprising facts behind all of this glorious music.

Online Music Marketing: Math or Myth? - Making money from music online: NARIP and the Hype Council help the record industry face the facts and expose the fiction – a report by The G-Man. The numbers are supposed to be big in online marketing, but are they? Clearly, we need someone with 'Net experience to set a few things straight. Scott Meldrum is a businessperson and musician wit ...

Just The Ticket - How To Get The Best Seats At Face Value For Any Sports Or Musical Event! - It should be simple - your favourite team/band/theatre play is just about to perform in a couple of weeks. You've waited months for this, now you're going to log on, book the tickets for yourself and your best buddy and bingo…you'll be at the event of the decade for a night to remember. If only it were that easy - you have your credit card ready bu ...

Four Major Steps Toward Building an Awesome Music Ministry - The inspiration for this article comes from an Old Testament story. In this story there is a special building project undertaken by Solomon. The four stages explained in this article are the exact same steps illustrated in this story. You will find that these four concepts will dramatically help you in your music ministry. You need to take this inf ...

14 Ways Musicians Can Increase Their Tips - I was listening to NPR the other day when they did a report on tipping in the restaurant industry. One they had a list of tips on how wait staff can increase their tips. That got me brainstorming and surfing the net for other ideas to boost tips. That combined with lots of performances at Renaissance Festivals helped me to develop my own l ...

Music Industry Insider: Tess Taylor of NARIP and LAMN - Members of LAMN (founded in 1988) and NARIP (founded in 1998), are able to more quickly gain the insight, knowledge, and contact information they need for career development and career enhancement. The success of both organizations extends well beyond their names – both LAMN and NARIP have members across the country and around the globe. O ...

For a Complete list of Articles with summaries Click Here