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Remove from listMechanical hand painted tin toy: A Fernand Martin (France) clockwork automaton, "Bécassine Casseuse d'assiettes". France.
EUR 2.400,00Category: Antique Tinplate Mechanical Toy Figures
A Fernand Martin (France) clockwork automaton: "Madelon Casseuse D'Assiettes". Clockwork toy of part litho, part hand painted. A very amusing and inventive toy design, features woman holding stack of plates while attempting to walk and not drop them all without apparent success. 6 1/2" h./ 16,5 cm. The toy is called Casseuse d´assiettes, After the toy is wound up and released, the body of the woman is designed to move back and forth while the feet move. Near the end, the figure falls backwards and the plate stack is released and the plates fly off. On the back of the head is a circle with the letters "F M" inside and the word "Paris" underneath the letters. 16,5 cm./ 6 1/2" Martin toys are portraying French life in the 19th century. They are crude in one way and sophisticated in another. Martin's genius was to observe everyday people and transform them into toys. Many times toys are made for children but with adults in mind. The subtleties would be lost on a child. See F.Marchand,L''''Historie des Jouets Martin,Paris 1987.
