“La Mascotte” (from the opera La Mascotte) Made by Gustave Vichy, Paris, France c. 1885 24”h x 12”w x 12”d The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection Morris Museum

This figure represents a character from the comic opera, La Mascotte. In its time, the opera was wildly popular—playing some 1,700 times in Paris alone from 1880 to 1897. A cylinder musical movement, concealed in the body, plays Audran’s La Mascotte waltz (1880) plus Mme. Boniface (1883). As the figure moves, the basket lid opens to reveal a chirping bird!

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