Tightrope Walker

Michel Marcu Mid-20th Century Tightrope Walker Automaton Figure
An unworking automaton example by Michel Marcu from the mid-20th Century. The respected maker of French automatons Michel created some amazing examples including this one. This item doesn’t have a key present but upon inspection of the mechanism everything is present and original to the item. The flip switch also is brass and moves up and down if somewhat loosely. The White Clown or Tightrope Walker as its more famously known with clown in a white silk costume with a painted bisque head made up with fixed eyes, it would performed acrobatics like movements, from a station upright on the ladder to eventually making its way up to a single arm handstand position. We believe after showing this to an expect repaired that the cost to bring this back to like is around £500 as all the mechanism is present. We have priced this item according to its non-working state.
Dimensions: 24" H ×14" W × 10" D
Origin: France (Paris)
Date: Mid-20th Century
Materials: Mixed
Condition:
• A non-working item
• All original mechanical element in place
• Worn and torn silk clothing
• The base material is very fragile with fray and faded areas as shown
• The clown’s face is faded a tad
• The base opens by unscrewing
• There is no key
• Repair cost by a professional would be £500 roughly.

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