Ballroom Scene Theatrical Music Box

this charming crank operated mechanical music toy presents a glass fronted stage with elaborately painted proscenium with stage curtains pulled aside to reveal a ballroom scene peopled by 13 colorfully painted wood figures, when the crank is turned the 3 couples in the center twirl as they move in a circle round and round while a lady musician strums a lute in the background - in front of her a single lady twirls on her own while to the right of the dancers a portly dance master looks on and behind him a standing 'jumping jack' figure (he looks like he might have moved once but he might need some sort of restringing); to the rear on a bandstand we see 3 other musicians in an elevated music box; the figures appear to be at a costume ball - one gentlemen dressed in the traditional Punchinello garb complete with hump on his back while the other figures appear in costumes of different eras; the quality of the paint and carving indicate that these are examples of some of the finest work of Erzgebirge area craftsmen; the interior sides are composed of 4 mirrors trimmed in gold Dresden embossed paper as is the crown molding surrounding the stage; some have suggested French origin of the piece using imported German figures but as we have learned many pieces often attributed to France were really produced by such German makers as Zinner & Sohne - in any event this is a marvelous and extremely scarce toy
Size: 9.25" w., 11.25" t., 7" d.

excellent (and as noted)