A rare Victorian magician doll could sell for thousands of pounds at auction after being gifted to a servant.
The ‘mesmerising’ creature stands at a draped table ready to reveal her simple trick. The doll, with long wavy hair bedecked with pink ribbons, slowly lifts a decorated box to reveal a dice. She places the box back down and when she lifts it again the dice has disappeared and a red ball appears.
The rare circa 1875 automaton, a life-like mechanical doll that moves by means of hidden gears, was given to a worker at grand English country house decades ago.
Its owner Mel Godfrey, 63, a social worker from Northamptonshire, said: “It was originally given to my grandmother, Florence, who worked in service at a grand country house in the village of Shrewton, Wiltshire, in the first half of the 20th century. She was born in 1905 and lived to be 99.
“When I was 10 years old she gave me the doll because I loved it so much. I have treasured it all my life. It’s been kept in a cabinet in my home for decades, surrounded by moth bags to protect it. It was an incredible gift. My grandmother must have been highly thought of.
“I have always loved the doll but feel the time has come to let her go to a new home where she will be cared for and appreciated in the decades to come. I have eight grandsons who would not be interested in her.”
The doll, by well-known French automata maker Renou, will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ Toy Auction on July 17 with a guide price of £2,000-£3,000 but could achieve more.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons, said: “Renou automata have sold for in excess of £10,000 at auction. They are mesmerising. The movement in this example is accompanied by gentle musical box sounds that sweep you back in time.
“In its day this magical doll would have been an unusual marvel brought out to amuse audiences with its simple trick. You can imagine it entertaining wealthy guests amid flickering candlelight in Victorian England.
“The automaton was a precursor to the robot. They demonstrate advances in mechanical engineering. Examples like are as fascinating today as they were when they made more than a century ago.”
Antique mechanical dolls are referenced as early as the mid 17th century with the golden years being roughly 1850 to the early 1900s. They were popular in Europe and the United States.
“The creation of magician dolls was a popular choice for makers, perhaps because both automata and magicians deliver a sense of wonder,” said Charles.
The firm of Dehais & Laforest – later Renou – was formed in around 1847 at 47 rue au Maire, Paris. They specialised in toys and novelties. In 1871 the firm moved to 5 rue de Montmorency, where director Verger was succeeded by Louis Renou in 1871. Renou took the firm in a new direction using his experience in toy making to create a new type of automaton aimed at the popular market. Automata by Renou are generally smaller and more toy-like than the work of his contemporaries Vichy, Lambert and Roullet & Decamps.
Renou’s automata often display a whimsical nature. Louis Renou retired in 1922, leaving the business to his son Ludovic, who modernised the business, turning his attention away from automata.
The Renou magician doll, lot 417, is in working order and the clothing appears to be entirely original. It is being offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ July 17 Specialist Toy Auction.
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