A Leopold Lambert-created smoking automaton is to auction at Bonhams Oxford on May 21 amid a raft of collectible toys. The distinctive automaton is thought to be worth �4,000-6,000 ($6,200-9,300).
 The working automata smokes when wound |
Made in France circa 1890, the automaton boasts a papier-mache head set with glass eyes, kid leather eyelids, a beard of human hair and a hinged mouth.
Dressed to resemble a Turkish man of the period, he wears a traditional red velvet jacket heavily adorned with gold brocade, a turban and harem pants. In one hand he clutches a coffee cup, in the other, a Shisha pipe.
When wound, the automaton's head moves up and down and from side to side, as he alternately lifts the coffee cup, and then the pipe, to his mouth.
This eye catching last supper automaton was previously offered at auction.
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