What an incredible job 👏 | Quest

A tiny clockwork motor powers this 130 year old automaton magician. Based on an almost forgotten French Magician called ‘The Great Aldo’ who had invested in a realistic copy of his own head and used it to perform his ‘head off’ routine. In reality he probably didn’t have a double jointed neck but used a set of shoulder pads and a high collar to disappear his head downward into his costume. #secretsofautomata #magictrick | The House of Automata

An automaton built in Germany in 1772 for Queen Marie-Antoinette, this mechanical marvel plays the tympanon — a stringed hammered instrument resembling a small dulcimer. Restored in the 19th century by magician-inventor Robert-Houdin, the machine preserves centuries-old mechanics while embodying the uncanny charm of music brought to life by clockwork. Every strike on the tympanon's metal strings feels preordained, each hammer movement both precise and ghostly. It’s music without flesh — delicate