Sand Powered Automata - Part Two

https://thehouseofautomata.com
The deluxe version of the classic 'Leotard' sand acrobat.
Years ago I saw one on a visit to Kensington Palace in London. It was in a glass cabinet in the nursery of Queen Victoria. The beautiful mahogany case and enigmatic winding hole for the music proved that this model existed. I had seen the advertisements for 'mahogany and musical versions' in some of the standard examples but never seen an actual one until then, a toy fit for a Queen.
I never thought I would see one for sale until a few weeks ago when one turned up online. I bought it and repaired the musical mechanism, which had got a stray grain of sand in the worm. The music is absolutely beautiful, a fully ornamented version of 'Rule Brittania' which really enhances the performance. I wonder how many of these Musical Mahogany versions are out there?