Puppet (16) - Antico Teatrino Austriaco con 12 Marionette, Tavolo e Sedie in legno - Wood, Brass - Late 18th/early 19th century

Impressive and very rare Stage Art Masterpiece: Antique Theater Stall 1780/1790 of Austro-Hungarian manufacture from the 18th century and belonging to the noble Kaunitz family. The Opera stands out for its monumental, imposing, and robust wooden structure (Oaken, Walnut and Ebony), hand-carved, moulded, and decorated with 12 marionettes from the period, a wooden table and chairs. Reaching today in excellent and incredibly intact condition, the piece preserves the Coat of Arms on the pediment and 6 plaques of the noble house in cast and hammered brass, in addition to an authentic ancient patina.

1790 represents a year of dramatic and crucial historical transition for Austria and the Habsburg Empire, marked by the end of radical Josephinism and the beginning of Leopold II's short reign, all under the shadow of the imminent storm of the French Revolution. The Teatrino was subsequently used during World War I and World War II for Children's Shows. It worked up until the 1990s, then became an object for Museums and Antiques. It is still perfectly functional today.

Architecture and cabinetmaking technique feature Laubsägearbeit (scroll-cut work): The dark-stained wooden architectural structure presents a refined manual scrollwork (technique typical of the artistic transitional period between late Baroque/Rococo and the rise of Josephinist Neoclassicism). The large upper pediment is entirely worked with volute motifs, while the side pilasters feature perforated panels with a musical theme (violins, trumpets, and ribbons) on a translucent red background.

• Heraldic shield: At the center of the pediment stands the Austrian heraldic shield with horizontal red-white-red bands (Bindenschild), supported by two rampant figures.
• Scenic mechanism: The façade houses an ingenious mechanism with side wooden wings and interchangeable backdrops. The proscenium opening retains the fixed drapery shaped in red tones.

Scenography and authentic marionettes
• The characters: The lot includes an original core of 12 marionettes. They have carved heads, hand-shaped and hand-painted with authentic color craquelure, torsos in blocks of rough-cut wood, and hand-sewn costumes with antique fabrics. They show normal and charming signs of time on the costumes and painted parts.
• Setting and furnishings: Included are the wooden stage furniture (a small table and 3 seats) and a backdrop.

The façade is equipped with four small black metal lanterns on articulated arms that are functional. The lamps were electrified at low voltage at a later time, circa 1980, to allow scenic lighting. Inside there is an old wiring connection because the first light was installed in the early 20th century.

Dimensions: 80 cm x 70 cm x 50 cm
Photos are an integral part of the description.