Gustave VICHY (1839-1904) , Pierrot at the moon or Aubade at the moon

Gustave VICHY (1839–1904)
Pierrot to the moon or Aubade to the moon

Musical automaton
Paris, around 1886–1890

Pressed cardboard and polychrome papier-mâché, sulfur eyes, textile, original musical mechanism with key.

Dimensions: H 53 × L 53 × P 21 cm


Important musical automaton representing a musician Pierrot sitting on a large anthropomorphic crescent moon. The character, dressed in a black and purple ruffled suit, holds a mandolin that he seems to play while turning his face towards the moon. The latter, treated in the form of a stylized profile with a mobile gaze, simultaneously animates the eye and mouth thanks to an ingenious double synchronized mechanism.

The composition is distinguished by its spectacular silhouette, combining symbolist poetry, popular theater and mechanical virtuosity. The contrast between the monumentality of the lunar face and the delicacy of Pierrot contributes to the dreamlike atmosphere characteristic of the great French salon automata at the end of the 19th century.

Made of pressed cardboard and polychrome papier-mâché, the work retains its original musical mechanism, functional, with its key. The coordinated movement of the different elements (rotation of the head of the Pierrot, animation of the eye and mouth of the moon) testifies to the technical sophistication achieved by the Parisian workshops during the golden age of automata.

The work has been restored in ancient times and is now in a state of use, with wear and minor visible accidents, as shown in the photographs.

Gustave VICHY is among the major figures of the French automaton of the second half of the 19th century. Successor of the house ROULLET-DECAMPS before developing his own workshop, he quickly established himself as one of the most inventive designers in the Parisian market of luxury automatons. His productions are distinguished by the quality of the movements, the expressiveness of the figures and a keen sense of staging.

The model known as Pierrot à la lune or Aubade à la lune is one of the emblematic creations of the house VICHY. Inspired by the poetic and melancholic universe of Pierrot fin-de-siècle (a theme omnipresent in decorative arts, music and symbolist theatre), this automaton perfectly synthesizes the dreamy aesthetics specific to the years 1880–1890.

The success of the model was considerable: it was notably taken over by Léopold LAMBERT, former foreman of the house VICHY, who realized several variants directly inspired by this composition become iconic. This distribution testifies to the historical importance of the work in the evolution of the French salon automaton.

By the monumentality of its lunar decoration, the quality of its polychromy and the complexity of its synchronized animation, this automaton is among the most theatrical and sought-after achievements of Gustave VICHY.


Bibliography :

The Golden Age of Automata (1848–1914), catalogue of the exhibition at the Parc de Bagatelle, Paris, model reproduced on p. 35.

Facsimile of the catalog of the Maison Vichy, models no. 424 to 434, p.240; comparable works reproduced in color p. 86–87.

Alain Decaux, Les Automates, Paris, Éditions de l'Amateur, 1978.

Christian Bailly, Automates: The creators and their works, Paris, Éditions de l'Amateur, 2003.