A Little Piece of Venice: Animated, Musical Tableau with Clock

Almost two years in the process, the conservation of a large & exceptional, c1840, Parisian-made, "Animated, Musical Tableau with Clock", a living depiction of life in Venice, Italy, has been completed and is now part of the Morris Museum’s “Musically Timed” exhibit, running through April 16th, 2023. Even though it is not known who exactly produced or sold the final product, individual internal components were discovered bearing the marks of their makers: “Henri Marc, Paris, France” on the timepiece and “Cailly, Jne., Mention Honorable, 1839” on the animation motor.
Measuring some 32″in height x 46.5″width x 11″depth and at times marketed as “Tableaux Vivants”, these wall-hung, clockwork-driven, 3-dimensional moving pictures were luxurious decorative arts for high society residences at the end of the 18th and well into the 19th centuries. Pieces such as this would have been wound-up to be set into motion just before guests might arrive for an evening social, and the host family would patiently wait for their guests to be surprised or even shocked to see that the wall art was ‘moving’, on its own. In this example, over a dozen waltzing figures under the mirrored gazebo dance away the evening; 2 rocking & pitching boats with passengers are in the foreground; a cargo ship and 5 gondolas with passengers pass under the Ponte di Rialto, plus the telling of time & music at will. Mid-19th century - Wow factor !!
Learn more about the “Musically Timed” exhibition here: morrismuseum.org/musicallytimed
Thanks go to those involved in this project:
Eli Wilner & Co. (frame conservation/restoration);
Nancy Nicholson Stained Glass (reverse-on-glass gilding);
Robin Biggens & Balthazar (musical mvmt repin & restoration)
Jere Ryder (papier mâché, painting, figure, horological & mechanical conservation)
Animated, Musical Tableau with Clock, c.1840-50, (3-dimension, mechanical picture depicting Venice, the grand canal & Ponte di Rialto), Overall: attributed to A. Tharin, Paris, France, Timepiece signed “Henri Marc, Paris”, France, Animation motor signed: “Cailly, Jne., Paris”, France, 32″h x 46.5″w x 11″d