Silver Swan Automaton… no motors, built in 1773 and still working perfectly.

[–] • 1 pt

The Silver Swan, made by James Cox in London in about 1773, is a life-size clockwork automaton that imitates the behaviour of a real swan. Cox was a showman and dealer; the Swan appeared in his Mechanical Museum in 1774. The mechanism is clockwork, of great quality; it is thought that the celebrated inventor John Joseph Merlin was responsible for designing the automaton. The automaton was exhibited at the Paris International Exhibition in 1867 and John Bowes purchased it in 1872 for his new museum. The Swan is the finest example of an automaton of its kind in the UK and one of only two of its size and importance in the world. It is enjoyed and well remembered by generations of visitors to the museum and now forms the museum's logo.

From (((kikepedia)))

Cox's career as a jeweler began as early as 1751, and his automatons were designed by artists like Joseph Nollekens and Johann Zoffany. In the 1760s John Joseph Merlin became his apprentice.[3] Though he proclaimed himself a goldsmith, he employed a number of jewellers and manufacturers who may have done much of the work;[1] that he was never a member of the goldsmith's guild further substantiates the claim that he subcontracted his work.[4] Cox specialised in intricate clockwork curios encrusted with gold, silver, and jewels, referred to as "sing-songs."[3] His primary market was the Far East, especially India and China, and the Chinese Qianlong Emperor possessed one of his automata, in the shape of a chariot.[1] Cox's popularity was important to British trade: the tea trade ensured that British imports far outweighed their exports to China, and Cox helped redress the imbalance.[3] His sing-songs initially reduced British trade deficit, but in the early 1770s Cox was stuck with a large inventory and a flooded eastern market. He liquidated some of his stock at Christie's in 1772, and used the remaining inventory to start his museum.[3]

John Cox didn't create the swan for the purpose of doing something great that would change the world. He was a businessman who targeted high-end clientele in the far east. He's more like a haute couture fashion designer than a craftsman. He did it for money and for his legacy (ego). He's Steve Jobs from another time.

>The Silver Swan, made by James Cox in London in about 1773, is a life-size clockwork automaton that imitates the behaviour of a real swan. Cox was a showman and dealer; the Swan appeared in his Mechanical Museum in 1774. The mechanism is clockwork, of great quality; it is thought that the celebrated inventor John Joseph Merlin was responsible for designing the automaton. The automaton was exhibited at the Paris International Exhibition in 1867 and John Bowes purchased it in 1872 for his new museum. The Swan is the finest example of an automaton of its kind in the UK and one of only two of its size and importance in the world. It is enjoyed and well remembered by generations of visitors to the museum and now forms the museum's logo. From (((kikepedia))) >Cox's career as a jeweler began as early as 1751, and his automatons were designed by artists like Joseph Nollekens and Johann Zoffany. In the 1760s John Joseph Merlin became his apprentice.[3] Though he proclaimed himself a goldsmith, he employed a number of jewellers and manufacturers who may have done much of the work;[1] that he was never a member of the goldsmith's guild further substantiates the claim that he subcontracted his work.[4] Cox specialised in intricate clockwork curios encrusted with gold, silver, and jewels, referred to as "sing-songs."[3] His primary market was the Far East, especially India and China, and the Chinese Qianlong Emperor possessed one of his automata, in the shape of a chariot.[1] Cox's popularity was important to British trade: the tea trade ensured that British imports far outweighed their exports to China, and Cox helped redress the imbalance.[3] His sing-songs initially reduced British trade deficit, but in the early 1770s Cox was stuck with a large inventory and a flooded eastern market. He liquidated some of his stock at Christie's in 1772, and used the remaining inventory to start his museum.[3] John Cox didn't create the swan for the purpose of doing something great that would change the world. He was a businessman who targeted high-end clientele in the far east. He's more like a haute couture fashion designer than a craftsman. He did it for money and for his legacy (ego). He's Steve Jobs from another time.

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