Robert Race, b. 1943, Scottish Dancer, a hand-operated automaton, wood, painted wood,...

Robert Race, b. 1943, Scottish Dancer, a hand-operated automaton, wood, painted wood, driftwood, wire, cotton, feather, approx. 25.5cm high excluding feather, 39cm wide, 14cm deep; together with another by the same artist, The Pirate Skipper, a hand-operated automaton, painted wood, driftwood, wire, cord, painted The Pirate Skipper to front of base, approx. 27.5cm high, 28.5cm wide, 12cm deep (a/f) (2)

Sir Nicholas Goodison noted:

Scottish Dancer: The kilted skeleton is an agile dancer despite being dead, his footwork very similar to frenzied Scottish dancers, and he stands after dancing in a range of poses, sometimes drooping with exhaustion, sometimes in the most elegant of poses with one foot behind the other. Robert Race is a master of animated movement. In this case the movement is created by a square cam on the drive shaft jerkily turning the top section of the dead tree so that the cotton attached to each side of the dancer jerks it into dancing. It is rare to meet such an exuberant skeleton, but then he is Scottish.

The Pirate Skipper: The skipping rope rotates with the pirates arms and the pirate never trips. The pirate can do forward and reverse swings of the skipping rope and makes quite a clatter when his legs touch down. The parrot remains settled throughout and says nothing.

Provenance:

Scottish Dancer: Purchased, Robert Race, June 1993.

The Pirate Skipper: Purchased, Robert Race, exhibition Robert Race: Moving Toys and Automata, Quaker Gallery, London WC2, January 1994.

Note: Robert Race, b.1943, exhibits his moving toys, automata, and kinetic sculpture in Britain and internationally.He is a member and past Chairman of the British Toymakers Guild. His work often incorporates a wide range of natural, re-used, and recycled material to make objects which move in simple but interesting ways.

Roseberys do not guarantee the working order of any automata or toy.