“Diana and the Stag”, automaton sculptural figure

This sculptural work, representing Diana Mounted on a Stag, is both a table centrepiece and a courtly banqueting and drinking amusement. It is brought o life by turning the clock-like mechanism in concealed in its base. The hollow figure of Diana, filled with spirits, would move along the dining table and stop in front of a guest, who would thereupon lift the stag with its base, remove the head, and take a drink. It is a tour-de force of craftsmanship combining the goldsmith’s art and clockmaker’s sophisticated technology. This example is a masterpiece of the Augsburg goldsmith Matthias Walbaum, who is credited with the creation of this model. He made several early versions of these works for courtly entertainments about 1600. Later versions from around 1610 were made by other Augsburg goldsmiths Jakob I. Miller and Joachim Fries.