Rare Musical Photograph Album with Marine Automaton, c. 1890

Retailed by Ami Rivenc, with gilt-tooled leather binding, twelve embossed double-sided pages for carte-de-visite photographs and other sizes (several included), tune-sheet and plaque of "Ami Rivenc, Fabricant à Genève", the back page with glazed automaton scene of a tissue-paper sea with three-masted clipper, cliffs, windmill and painted coastline, with two-air cylinder movement playing "Il Baccio, Valse" and "Guillaume Tell, Prière", as the waves roll, the ship heaves and the windmill sails turn, 9 ¼ x 12 in. (23,5 x 31 cm). With key. - Good original working condition. - References: For a similar automaton scene in a sewing necessaire, see Auction Team Breker, 28 May 2011 (Lot 453). - A highly unusual automaton album, the only example of its kind that we have seen to date.

布雷克拍品等级是为了方便竞买人判断拍卖品的成色而设置的。布雷克等级用1到6级来标注外观和功能的成色，(从非常好到非常差)。 在目录图册里用括号里的2个数字来表示，前一个数字表示外观成色的级别，后一个数字表示功能成色的级别。如(3/2)表示外观成色是3(满意的)，功能成色2(好)。 成色 定义参照下列标准： 1 - 非常好 (未使用过，没有使用痕迹) 2 - 好 (新，极少的使用痕迹) 3 - 满意的 (普通的使用痕迹) 4 - 及格的 (明显的使用痕迹，某个非主要部件是后配的) 5 - 有缺陷的 (极明显的使用痕迹, 某个主要部件是后配的，功能上有缺陷，需要修理) 6 - 非常差 (严重破损, 缺少重要部件)