20" French Antique Automaton Leopold LAMBERT "A La Renomme" with Lottery Wheel for Au Nain Bleu Boutique , circa 1890

20" (51 cm.) Standing upon a velvet-covered platform is a bisque head doll with large brown glass paperweight inset eyes, dark eyeliner, painted lashes and brows, closed mouth, pierced ears, auburn mohair wig over cork pate, carton torso and legs, wire upper arms, bisque lower arms, wearing (worn) original red and green silk jacket, black pantaloons, silk apron, holding a wooden baton in one hand and appearing to carry a wooden lidded barrel from gold cords around his neck (actually attached to protruding rods from his torso). When wound, music plays, the boy turns his head side to side and nods, while waving the baton, and periodically spinning the arrows at the top of the barrel as though spinning a lottery wheel. The barrel has gold lettering "A La Renomme". Condition is generally excellent, minmal wear to dress due to age. all original condition , music and mechanism function well. Marks: Depose Tete Jumeau 4 (head) L.B. (key).
Leopold Lambert, circa 1890, the automaton depicts the "marchand d'envies" (merchant of wishes), a popular entertainment of the time at parks such as Jardin de Luxembourg; for a few cents children could ask the marchand to twirl the lottery wheel, and where it landed would decide what prize the child would win . Value Points: very rare model with original L.B. paper tune label indicating "La Grosse Caisse" tune and original Au Nain Bleu paper label. As the automaton did not appear in the Lambert catalog it is likely that it was a special commission for Au Nain Bleu, commemorating a child's joyful memory.

LEOPOLD LAMBERT AUTOMATONS :
Léopold Lambert was born in Aix-en-Provence in October, 1854. His parents owned a hotel, their business was rather successful and they expected that the son would continue the family venture. However, since his childhood the boy showed creative abilities, drawn and made curious art items from wood and clay very often. Later he was an apprentice of the famous automata master, Gustav Vichy.

Seizing all on the fly, Leopold Lamber quickly mastered the dolls’ production and very soon became the senior supervisor. In 1886, Lamber decided to open his own business - a workshop for production of the mechanical dolls, musical automata and expensive luxury items similar to products by Vichy.

Several years earlier, in 1876 Lamber got married. The Parisian tailor Eugénie Maria Bougeois became his spouse. After the wedding, she assisted to Lamber, making sketches of suits and sewing clothes for the dolls, which were made in the workshop.

Mechanical automata from Lamber's workshop were very popular and were sold well. He actively participated in various exhibitions and always knew how to amaze the experienced public. The 90-cantimeter, singing serenades doll of Mephistopheles presented by Lamber at the World Fair of 1900, became one of the most discussed exhibits. Then followed success at the exhibitions in Liege in 1904 and in Milan in 1905.


PAYPAL ACCEPTED

LAYAWAY ACCEPTED