Rare 19th Century Antique Sand Toy or Antique Leotard Acrobat Automaton / Automata
Sorry - the images are the wrong way round for some reason - the box should be upright!
A rare 19th Century sand toy automaton, also known as an Antique Leotard presented in its original wooden box with glass front for sale at Holt Antiques in Little Walsingham, Norfolk.
Most probably made by Brown, Blondin and Company of London, England, Circa 1890.
Sand powered toys are rare and highly collectible.
These toys were expensive to make, so production was limited. Finding them in any type of working condition is not the easiest task as children were known to shake them frantically in frustration trying to get them to work. This results in broken boxes, broken glass and broken movements!
This piece has a gymnast as the main attraction.
The little figure dangles in the center of the box from a bar at the center. The delightful scene is protected by a nice pane of light glass in the front of the box.
He is perfectly still, until of course you turn the box over.
By turning the box upside down, a reservoir inside is filled up with sand. When the box is set back to rights the sand pours out of the reservoir onto a slatted wheel and powers a number gears.
The slatted wheel is attached to the acrobat's handlebar, so that when it turns, the little man spins around.
The figure's arms and legs are jointed giving him fantastically animated motions.
Condition - Loss to decorative coverings of box. Tape seals fraying. This is as untouched as we could find!