Cycling Crab Automaton by Jon Mills

Wrought and brazed steel, depicting an anthropomorphic crustacean on a bicycle, with hand-cranked mechanism operating an axle with chain to the rear wheel and a camshaft for the crab’s three double-jointed legs and hinged claw, on six crab-like legs to base with copper plaque engraved: "Cycling Crab", ht. 53 in. (165 cm), working. - Literature: Andrea Robertson, 1992, "Museum of Automata", p. 78. - Robertson cites Mills: "I started making steel automata at college in 1980 and by 1985 had slowly moved into semi-functional furniture. A delight with making things that work (to nobody’s criteria other than my own), combined with childhood memories of the smells in my Dad’s metal-pressing factory, are probably both contributory factors in my work".

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)