Mechanical dolls from the past

"Jakemares and Automatons" is the name of the exhibition dedicated to mechanical dolls of the 19-20 centuries from the private collection of David Yakobyshvili, which takes place in Moscow at the Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Art. Automatons or jacquemares are called mechanical jukeboxes. A mechanical doll can imitate almost any human movement, as it is made very skillfully. For example, one of the most famous automatons of Pierre Droz’s firm, The Drawer, introduced in 1774, can draw four drawings in a row. The collection of David Yakobyshvili has more than fifty exhibits. This collection is the only in Russia, it is recognized as one of the best in the world. It is worth noting that such an exhibition is unique in itself – musical and mechanical instruments and dolls very rarely appear in museums now. Even less often you can see that the exhibits are set up to demonstrate the impeccable work of the mechanisms that have survived despite the great age.