Watch a Marie Antoinette automaton play the dulcimer
by David Pescovitz from on (#2AZ9M)
In 1784, cabinetmaker David Roentgen (1743-1807) made this astonishing automaton of Marie Antoinette playing a dulcimer as a gift for King Louis XVI to give to his queen. This fantastic contraption is in the collection of the Musi(C)e des arts et mi(C)tiers de Paris. From Atlas Obscura:
When wound up, the music box mechanism moves the figure's head and arms, making them dance across the strings and chime out a ping-y tune. The player has a repertoire of eight songs...
It's said that the beautiful lace dress was made from fabric of one of Marie Antoinette's dresses, and that mannequin even has some of her real hair.
