The Silver Swan at The Bowes Museum.
"This musical automaton is much loved and over the last century has
become the icon of The Bowes Museum. The Silver Swan dates from 1773 and
was first recorded in 1774 as a crowd puller in the Mechanical Museum
of James Cox, a London showman and dealer. The internal mechanism is by
John Joseph Merlin, a famous inventor of the time.
become the icon of The Bowes Museum. The Silver Swan dates from 1773 and
was first recorded in 1774 as a crowd puller in the Mechanical Museum
of James Cox, a London showman and dealer. The internal mechanism is by
John Joseph Merlin, a famous inventor of the time.
The American novelist Mark Twain also saw the Silver Swan at the Paris
exhibition in 1867 and described it in his book The Innocents Abroad:
exhibition in 1867 and described it in his book The Innocents Abroad:
‘I
watched the Silver Swan, which had a living grace about his movement
and a living intelligence in his eyes - watched him swimming about as
comfortably and unconcernedly as it he had been born in a morass instead
of a jeweller’s shop - watched him seize a silver fish from under the
water and hold up his head and go through the customary and elaborate
motions of swallowing it..."
watched the Silver Swan, which had a living grace about his movement
and a living intelligence in his eyes - watched him swimming about as
comfortably and unconcernedly as it he had been born in a morass instead
of a jeweller’s shop - watched him seize a silver fish from under the
water and hold up his head and go through the customary and elaborate
motions of swallowing it..."
No comments:
Post a Comment