This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/30/2021
Kellar, Harry (Heinrich Keller).Harry Kellar’s Devil Head Automaton. Circa 1880. Grotesque head of a demon finished in red and green with thick mustache and beard and two large horns, resting atop a velvet-covered pedestal with brass ornaments, and supported by a decorated brass column; the demon being a faux automaton that apparently interacts with the performer and, after cards are selected by members of the audience, eventually produces these chosen cards from its mouth and between its horns. Piston-driven mechanism in base with further mechanics concealed inside the papier-mâché head. Restored in 1975 by magician Bill Brewe. Owned and used by Harry Kellar. See Salon de Magie, page 170. In performance, the devil’s eyes rolled, its mouth opened, and then, after a cloud of smoke emanated from the jaws of the beast, two cards appeared between its lips, while another two popped in to view between its horns, concluding the effect. The internal mechanisms for this faux automaton are activated by pistons concealed in the performer’s table (see previous lot). This Devil’s head was owned by John A. Petrie, Charles Larson, John McManus, and the Circus Museum of Sarasota. Accompanying documentation traces the history of the prop.