Moorish Harpist (Harpiste Mauresque)
Manufacturer
Vichy, Gustave
(French, 1839 - 1904)
Dateca. 1867
OriginFrance
MediumBisque, kid, paint, glass, metal, brocaded textile
Dimensions30 in. (76.2 cm)
ClassificationsAutomaton
Credit LineGift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
Object number2017.187
Label TextGustave Vichy, (French, 1839-1904)
Automaton: Moorish Harpist (Harpiste Mauresque)
Bisque, kid, paint, glass, metal, brocaded textile, about 1870
Gift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
In the second half of the 19th century, French toy makers began producing exotic performers, exquisitely dressed in brocade garments and fake jewels. Gustave Vichy, the son of a Parisian toy seller, focused the family business on musical automata. His wife, a seamstress, created their clothes following the latest fashion trends.
The Moorish Harpist is a well-preserved example. She is perched on an inlaid, North-African tabouret, a stool without back or arms, and carries an Egyptian arched wooden harp.
This instrument, a so-called shoulder harp, is usually played by male soloists, plucking two strings at a time to get a louder and richer sound.
The rise of modernism at the end of the century rendered the Orientalists painters old-fashioned, and exotic automata also fell out of favor.
Status
On view
Rochard, Antoine Edmond (French, b. 1836)
about 1868
