Automaton
Moulinie Aine and Co.
Category
Musical instruments, devices and recordings
Date
circa 1820
Materials
Ormolu, ebony, ivory, steel, mother-of-pearl, wood and glass
Measurements
227 x 145 x 106 mm
Place of origin
Geneva
Order this imageCollection
Attingham Park, Shropshire (Accredited Museum)
NT 608416
Caption
Anthropomorphic animals can be quite mesmerizing, but what can be said about the chained monkey perched within this ormolu music box made in Geneva in the early 19th century? The music box is actually an automaton equipped with an intricate mechanism that enables the monkey to turn his head while conducting music with an ivory baton. The music that is played is an example of a traditional Swiss melody known as a ‘Ranz des Vaches’. Melodies like this were played on horns by Alpine herdsmen to coax their cattle to be milked or to move up the mountains. So evocative of Switzerland were these melodies that Swiss soldiers in French regiments were forbidden under penalty of death from singing them, lest the tunes might encourage desertion. Today, the nostalgia-inducing melody can be heard playing in the Sultana Room at Attingham Park.
Summary
Ormolu musical box automaton made by Moulinie Aine and Co. of Geneva, Switzerland, circa 1820. Chained ebony monkey seated before harp and music stand. His head turns as he conducts music with an ivory baton. Sheet music engraved 'Ranz de Vaches Air de Figaro'. Moulinie Aine and Co a Geneve (maker's name engraved on steel sheet music). Chased ormolu mounts to mother-of-pearl base. Housed in its original glass dome with oval wood base. Traditionally believed to be a gift to Sophia, wife of the 2nd Lord Berwick.
Provenance
Believed to be 2nd Lord Berwick collection (Thomas Noel Hill, 1770 -1832, 2nd Baron Berwick). Attingham collection; bequeathed to the National Trust by Edith Teresa Hulton, Lady Berwick (1890-1972).
Marks and inscriptions
Moulinie Aine and Co a Geneve (maker's name engraved on steel sheet music)
Makers and roles
Moulinie Aine and Co.