BLOG 20.  “Monk automaton and the tea serving automaton.”

Here are two photos. First photo is a monk automaton owned by Smithsonian Institute and displayed at National Museum of American History (NMAH), USA. And second photo is Mr. W. David Todd and I at his workshop of NMAH in 1999. Todd-san was the conservator of the monk automaton at that time and I visited him to learn about it.

The monk automaton seems to be made in the middle of 16th century in Spain or south Germany. This automaton and the Japanese tea serving doll have several points in common. They walk but the feet are dummies and are driven forward by wheels. They both have three wheels and two main wheels of them are not only located on the right and left sides of their bodies, but those wheels on the left side are shaped like gears. Both dolls go a fixed distance and change the direction. We cannot confirm yet whether or not these two dolls have any relation to each other. (ref: JAK p.25-27)