A delightful mechanical music box from the workshops of Polyphon Musikwerke, Leipzig, Germany and most likely dating to the late 1890s. These wonderful machines used 8" (20.5cm) metal discs onto which the music was laid by punching perforations into the metal, the resulting projections engaging with a gantry of star-shaped wheels that when turned plucked a tooth on the instrument's comb. The mechanism was powered by a clockwork motor, with a lever to the front providing the winding mechanism. A simple knob was pushed in to engage the motor and start the music, and pulled out to bring the music to an end. This particular instrument bears the Polyphon trademark to the cast iron frame and is illustrated with cherubs to the inside lid. 26cm wide, 24cm deep, 15cm high.
25 июн 2024
