Black Forest Apostolic Clock

Amazing Automata from the 18th Century

Here's something to knock the socks off of any of you fans of automata.



The newscast is in German, but anyone can get the drift. These are three mechanically animated figures. One plays the organ, one writes, and the other draws. To be clear: the organ isn't a player organ (that plays itself) while the figure sits in front and pretends to play... the figure ACTUALLY PLAYS the organ. The information for the tune is in her mechanics, so that her fingers and arms move to play the fairly complex little tune!

These are housed in the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Neuchâtel, and were built by theologian, mathematician and watchmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz, his son Henri-Louis and their colleague Jean-Frédéric Leschot in the early 1770s. They were first exhibited to the public in nearby La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1774!



This is truly amazing stuff.. Unlike the two mechanical boys, the woman-organist's body and head move independently of her task, and she can sit and breathe and fidget (her head and neck making almost imperceptible movements) independently for an hour. Also unlike the boys she is operated by four separate pieces of machinery—one to pump the organ, one to operate her hands and fingers, one to operate her head and body, and one to power the bow she performs at the end of each song. She plays five tunes.





via Steampunk Magazine

Beer Drinker

There is a long tradition of Beer Drinking automata in the Black Forest clock world. Certainly, there is some cultural significance to beer in Southern Germany. It may come as no surprise that beer is featured heavily in art and crafts from that region.

I recently found this great automaton on YouTube.

This one is interesting because it actually features a tube and pump of liquid being poured and swallowed by the mechanical figure.



There are also several new clocks, available today that feature a drinking figure, both in cuckoo clocks, and large mechanical figurines.





Stay tuned for a forthcoming post from Justin and his new prize: an Antique Black Forest King Beer Drinking Automaton.

Related Posts: Automata, Beer Drinkers and Dumpling Eaters

An Interesting English Longcase

One of the things that really interests us (besides beautiful new clock designs) are really old clocks.

This is a piece that was saved from an old estate in the suburbs of Washington D.C. We found parts of the clock laying around the house and in the front yard, and we are going to take some time to clean it and restore it to working order.

Here are some hasty snapshots:

As you can see, it has a very elegant shallow case with a long door in the front. This style is typical of Tall Case or Long Case clocks of England and America in the 18th and early 19th Centuries. This particular example has an excellent oak case, finished in the traditional "Dark Oak" of English fashion.

You can't see it in these pictures, but with careful inspection we found the name of the maker on the dial "Samuel Buxton, Colchester" which we traced back to the earliest possible date of 1773 in England. The dial painter was Wilkes and Company. Because of the style of the dial and case, this clock was most likely made around 1780.

This fine clock even has some animation in the dial. You can see the interesting hand painting of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, with all the animals surrounding them - including the Serpent. Eve even moves her arm with the Fruit of Knowledge, as if to tempt poor Adam!

While we were researching this clock, we came across some other beautiful examples of the same era. Do you have one? Tell us about it! Let's hear from you in the comments.

BTW, if you like this wood finish, be sure to check out our "Handel" wall clock by Sternreiter. This finish is sometimes called "dark oak," or "antique oak," or "English oak" wood finish. It has a nice strong look that is somewhat more formal than our American oak finishes.

Rat Eater part 2

I thought I would do a quick follow-up post on the delicious Rat Eater owned by our friend and collector J. Miller.  This information and material is copied from the previously-mentioned discussion at the NAWCC forums...

Apparantly it was quite common, during time of war, for soldiers and citizens to be driven to eating rats - especially during sieges.  There are some accounts (during the Franco-Prussian war) of rat-sellers and one American journalist even writes about the best rat recepits and the comparisons between dog, cat, and rat meat.

Here is a painting by  of a "Rat Seller"(c.1870)

Here is an account from 1871 by an American journalist, shut in in Paris during the Franco-Prussian war

...and another account of eating rats in Metz c. 1814

Rare Black Forest Clocks

We are always happy to hear from our friend J. Miller. He's got quite a collection of rare and unusual antique Black Forest Clocks. He most recently acquired an exteremly rare piece from the 19th Century, and there is only ONE of these known to exist in the world.



This "Rat-Eater" is a very rare example of a set of German automata known as "Dumpling Eaters." For whatever reason, the clockmaker here decided to make the figure eat rats instead of dumplings or sausages.



(see more pictures on our Flickr photostream here )

There is also a very fascinating discussion about the clock here. Apparantly there are several interesting accounts of eating rats during wartime.

The rat eater isn't a clock you can run out and buy, but North Coast Imports is pleased to offer automata that eat dumplings and drink beer. Rombach und Haas has the only original Black Forest clock that eats dumplings or drink sips of beer, counting the hour and half hour.

Fresh Supply

We have recently recieved a limited supply of the hugely popular 1316 and 1459. Visit your North Coast Imports dealer today to find out about these fine pieces! They are perfect for holiday gifts!

New Chimneysweeps!

We are proud to introduce a new musical cuckoo clock. This charming Chalet has fresh lines and colors. The chimneysweep hopps in and out of his chimney - startled by the cuckoo call. There is also a music box that plays, and the waterwheel turns.

Fans of North Coast Imports already know about the charming version without music (the 1216) now we are pleased to announce that we can offer a larger version with music too! (see model number 1316)

The Prosit is a BEST SELLER

We at North Coast Imports are destined to make mistakes like anyone else. In our sales literature last year we announced the successful release of our NEW "Prosit" cuckoo clock by Rombach und Haas - model #1389. It has since been a major success with lots of happy customers. Unfortunately, we just found out this week that we got the size wrong in our sales literature. We had it listed as 18" tall, which would have made it grossly disproportionate.

The correct dimensions are about 10" across, 12" up and down (not including the pendulum and weights), and about 8" deep. Again, I apologize for the mistake. Let me assure you that there is no other "taller" clock out there with otherwise the same description. The 12" Prosit is the one-and-only Original Black Forest clock (certified by the VDS) with this description.

Click the picture below for the adjusted dimensions and updated description. By the way, don't forget that some details may change with each clock. These clocks (like all of our timepieces) are all made by hand, and individually, rather than by assembly line. Since these clocks are made much the same as they have been hundreds of years ago, it means that all of the parts are not necessarily interchangeable. Plus, the artist that is building each individual clock may have a change of heart as to the particular color of a flower, or style of a carving. You may find small details in your clock that are different than the description. Embrace this, it means you have something special and unique. It means that your clock was built by a craftsman with tremendous pride in his or her work.