La Musicienne

"From the antiquity men has felt curiosity and fascination to reproduce animal and people movement. “La Musicienne” is an example of the union of an automaton and a mechanical instrument, able to produce sounds without man direct intervention.

Movement is commanded from a camshaft activated by a steel spring engine that also controls sound production. When you wind up, the automaton imitates breathing movement, move arms as if he plays and shakes eyes and head while you can hear the traditional music sound “La mere Michelle”.

The musical mechanism corresponds to the music boxes. It is an Idiophone mechanic programmed with rollers and tuned steel sheets, invented by Antoine Faure-Salomon. It also incorporates a compensation balancing for clockmakers mechanism invented by Jacques Vaucanson that in the year 1774 presented his first Musicienne known, work that possibly inspired the builder of the one of the Romantic Museum of SItges."