Automaton Harpist by Vichy

[rhinonose]

not scary. TERRIFYING

[lilpamelycc]

This is a beautiful piece of art and history. I love the fine hand movements and the emotion she seems to suggest with her expressions.

[generaleinverno87]

ahaha che figata assurda! :D

[straker1999]

She really is lovely ... very similar to ' Battle Angel Alita ' from the Manga story :o)

[ivanrevolution]

creepy

[sipentiumde]

Hey cool! The monster in my fever dream is actually a real thing!

[matrielle]

Nostalgia and sadness pinched my heart when the video stoped... I'm sure she received a lot of love from her former owner. Old toys have something magic...

[SilverioBlack]

creepyy has hell

[FutureLaugh]

this is officially what nightmares are made of

[sheadatear]

Aww. ..  I want to call her Maureen! She's such a pretty bust. Her hands move so gracefully, too!

[blanknot]

If I saw this in person as a child, I'd be haunted for the rest of my life.

[tvol319]

That's okay, I wasn't planning on sleeping anyway.

[wks1978]

I think it would be nice to restore it, to see the effect it would have originally had.

It looks seriously scary in it's current state.

[jayjen880]

Creepy as hell!!!

[laser8389]

It's amazing to think about how it works and the history of the thing, but you have to admit: in its current condition, it could easily hold the title role in any number of horror movies :)

[Sanchoelmalo]

she looks like a zombie, really scary

[MrDjD9]

Im ok with it since it moves and it doesnt look too real

[19bunnyhug68]

I think it's beautiful.

[disturbedkira]

One of the scariest things I've ever seen. D:

[darkglamgoth]

gorgeous! I saw another harpist automaton on youtube, is it this one restored?

youtube.com/watch?v=aJzCuOHmhG­Q

[RyuuseiRosuto]

oh, i wish i could have seen it when it was new.

[cometkatt]

absolutely lovely -- its sad she's in such poor condition but she would have been beautiful when she was new-- am sure the harp would have been really pretty too. amazing automatonic work considering how old it is-- very few such things made now days would last so long or so well!! not scary in the least :)

[69mechanik]

@cometkatt Thanks for your wise comments. We had another similar automaton bust (a boy banjo player) a few years ago and very carefully restored it, new gesso, new clothes and paint, it looked good and sold straight away to a U.S collector, but in renewing every surface it had lost a lot of the magic.

[bowentradegroup]

Thanks Prez now I am going to have fuking nightmares!!

[therealsuperhobo]

The harp is a lie.

[StackCityEntOfficial]

Come and play with me...forever.

[xentrox]

I'm trying so hard to remember the name of the piece its playing. Can anyone help me recall it? I love that song, I'm not gonna go to bed today unless I find out haha.

I love this thing, i'd kill to have it.

[turkaygob2]

I have something called automatonophilia and this video aroused the F#!K OUT OF ME!

[texasairhead101]

was waiting for the last second close-up and scream

[scarlette536]

She's playing an air harp. And quite well, I might add.

[bigangela34]

So very Beautiful.

I want her.

[DerekKiller]

Uncanny valley

[djouv241]

It scared me but... It's beautiful.

[Poncho151500]

KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT!

[TheGreatSparky]

SEND THIS THING BACK TO THE DEPTH OF TIM BURTON WHERE IT BELONGS!

[daft3ndir3kt]

nooooOOOOOOOoo



[actinoidify]

It would be even creepier if you added a voice for it...

[EmperorOfMars]

Those soulless eyes

[TheFinlandnator]

Chucky has grown up.

[angeliquepullip12]

it's really look in bad condition



[straker1999]

Reminds me of ' Battle Angel Alita' from Manga ... it is good though :o]

[letsbeefriendsok]

LOVE this Doll. Thanks for showing her.

[sazuist]

SCARY AS HELL D:, BUT GREAT WORK! ;)

[tenderheart17]

She's beautiful. I love dolls and puppets.

[luselaz]

ok, now this is scary........ D:

[aabbee150]

that is just way to creepy to watch!!!!!

[firelifesm]

omg amazing i love it!!!!!

[TheWanderingchild]

Gah!!! It's beautiful but it still scare the hell out of me!

[robertlewisvazquez]

thing is creepy but cool at the same time.

[crismm2010]

I can imagine it as it once was, lovely and pretty! So sad to see the perfect mechanism of what once was a triumph of human wit and playfulness!

[LordPaynus]

KILL IT WITH FIRE

[Forzatoadv]

Nope, not sleeping tonight after this...

[mametchi1234]

how sweet :D but in the end of the video she looked at me....0-0

[sharall]

oh my god she is beautiful!

[lagas5]

this is the creepies shit i've seen in a while.. wtf is it? and why would someone have it in a museum? what kids now days don't have enough nightmares or something?

[bikingforbrie]

Please don't let Tim Burton see this.

[jamesdimaano1516]

how come its all crappy looking??

[CrimsonandCloves]

AHH! Holy crap-This one's scaring me!

[videochemist]

Exquisite! For some reason 'uncanny valley' doesn't apply to me. All things like dolls, androids/gynoids, mannequins, marionette dolls, scarecrows, automatons, and robots, are things I find really beautiful and appealing. Thanks for the upload.

[undamaris2006]

... Inquietante!

[rango1866]

da miedo

[Spookywukums1]

She's beautiful!! I'm really happy to know someone out there loves clockwork and art as much as I do. <3

[nomasnadie]

It must have been a wonderful sight when it was is good shape, now it's sad and creepy! But a wonderful object, anyway.

[blazeypolska13]

OMG MEGA SCARY..

[sofineko]

genial... y eso que es del siglo 18

amazing...and he's the 18th century

[s3x0fd34Th]

wow i really want one, wanna scare the shit out of my brothers,, like they used to scare me when i was little

[sazuist]

@s3x0fd34Th Ah yeah~ That a great idea, but I will fear first~ :P

[UnlawfulBeloved]

I wish I could get a working one of those, it would help my sleeping.

[willowsnsakura]

this is *amazing*. I didn't even know that things like this existed....it reminds me of an old, old story I read about a guy named Copulus (?) that stole people's eyes for his girl automaton. But, but...really. this is awesome.

....I do have to say, though, this is pretty deep in Uncanny Valley.

[Saeyen]

Copelius, The story is by E.T.A Hoffmann.

[MorroccoSurrogate]

Too bad the harp is gone. The hand movement is just lovely.

[Quarzintle]

I have something called automatonophobia and this video creeped the F#!K OUT OF ME!

[childofbedroom]

@Quarzintle Then you are in for a hard time... They will be all over the place beating the fishjelly out of humanity in no time at all. Good think I am building a bunker so that I can defend myself against the mind control waves they will be emitting.

[aabbee150]

@Quarzintle same here :)

[sazuist]

@Quarzintle Yeah~ me too~

[KairuHakubi]

@Quarzintle It's called being normal is what it's called. if you're not afraid of this you're not comin near me or my family.

[ScottMinusShirt]

@Quarzintle you have something called an undeveloped brain because youre scared of a female harp player. much less a roibot female harp player.

[Griwhoolda]

@Quarzintle Then why did you watch it in the first place? :D

[megadv8r]

i love these creations.

all the parts,time that took to build them,the ingenuity,ah!

[Video9]

That's the song that you hear before the devil kills you in your sleep.

[maxguydave1]

lmao

[LaMarurin]

I've heard this song before, but I have no idea what it's called...

[plushmadness]

She's lovely, what a nice piece.

[savoy023681]

I have a black minstrel automaton that plays a banjo. It works perfectly but I am afraid to touch it as it is so delicate. I want to sell it, but I have no idea what it is worth or who I should approach. Any ideas?

[wattever333]

find a book on collecting antiques, and evaluating them. Do a googly search. search for automatons and minstrel.

[captainofyourstarshi]

that is sum creepy shit

[aobara1993]

夢に出てくる。

[69mechanik]

It would be a lovely dream!

[narichannn]

Creepy. °°

[narichannn]

Don't zoom, please...Don't zoom...

OH MY GOD! ç_ç

[ShinyAndTouchable]

AHhhhhhh!

[AnotherLondoner]

going by her hand movemets I think she used to play the harp

[ericamt]

My brother and I used to go looking through our grandparent's attic as kids, but I can't imagine stumbling across her. I wonder what her story is? Where she was found? It looks like she's had a rough life, but it's amazing she still works so well despite her exterior being a bit battered. Wonderful find!

[Spiritree41]

She is beautiful even without her harp : )

[RainbowMonkeeMittens]

Agree, I absolutely love her "as is" too! Be a shame to spit and polish her, she' already got quite a bit of character in her present condition! Very glad you feel that way! RMM∞

[Fuliginosus]

Do you have a museum for all these wonderful things, or is it strictly a private collection? Either way, I'm very glad you're sharing it on YouTube.

[filipinowhiteboy]

oh god that is scary

[3Dmidori]

That thar is SERIOUS statue fetish fuel.

[gabrielvela]

aww its so beautiful!!

[PennyDropper]

She was a looker in her time.

[KuruContinuum]

that is the scariest thing I've ever seen

[muppetspuppets]

aw shes gorgeous! So clever!

[wizzwamf]

in the united kingdom in york there was a museum of automata the only one of its kind with all these amazing automata in beautiful period settings and working on televisions for all to see all restored and dressed , but later it was shipped lock stock and barrel to japan ,so sad to see the collection go ,this lady was probably a staus symbol for entertainment to a wealthy family to be shown at a dinner party ect ,because she is vichy she would be amazingly dressed is she restored now

[98Clank98]

that is so cool, even the fingers move to "play the tune"

Dude, if you dont want to restore it, at least give it a harp

[Vi3tGrl2]

omg like that puppet in Mr.Roger's ... . I HAD NIGHTMARES about these things when I was little!!

[Pepperann83]

Thx

zTheNiko,oops,did´nt read the description...^-^

[Nattadavision]

scary yes, but this was cutting edge back then, inside u'll find the worlds first hard drive!

[Pepperann83]

sadly,its i pretty bad shape,i*d like to know how old it is...

[zTheNiko]

In description: 1880

[lisheron01]

it looks like the girl in the exorcist!!! damned!!!

[peppermint23]

OMFG that thing is scary as shit

[igmorf]

how stupid are some people!! This is art!!! And how!

[jazzaspirin]

that's just freaky, man

[godsloved3]

how could you work witht those things moving and looking at you!?

[AsFlowingWater]

Seconded.

[hotpink910]

thirded i friggen hate automatronic stuff its creepy

[DuxCorvan]

Imagine you wake to the sound of harp music, turn the light on and you see this thing doing that routine on the night table... Aaaaaaah!!

[godsloved3]

Oh my god!!! dude thats scary!! id effin burn it!! Or actually id never put that on my night stand on the first place!!!

[98Clank98]

it only looks like that because it's 209 years old!

it  would have been clean and maybe wearing clothes or somthing.

[snocamo154]

That harp player is Tim Burton type of scary.

[bloodymissb]

Why is everyone giving you a thumbs down? Last time I checked Tim Burton made beautiful things and I don't see how that's an insult...-_- Yeesh people.

[wizzwamf]

i agree about tim burton , the corpse bride is a fantastic film ,the bride herself is gentle and enchanting despite her state of being,as is sally from nightmare before christmas ,all his animated charecters are meant to be scary but are quite the reverse in a twist ,and i love that , as this automaton is only scary in the mind of the person who thinks that way

[imanacer]

Well, here come the nightmares tonight!

[arissoul]

Creepy...

[SpacedogTelevisor]

Yes, a beautiful trip to the uncanny valley. I'd like to know more about the mechanism that moves the neck.

[lasfinisimas]

Uncanny valley

[LaPetiteMascarade]

There's something adorable yet creepy about this automata. It's great, though--and I have to say, though I'm sure she'd look fantastic if restored, there's just such charm she has as she is.

[LaPetiteMascarade]

Er, sorry, typo. *Automaton

[bigme538]

i love this, it looks like quite a mechanism driving that.

there was an automaton in brighton lanes i used to see as a child, an old lady riding a bike. thats something id love to find.

out of interest how much would an automaton like this set you back?

thanks for posting this its appreciated!

[sugarangel103]

omg!!! thats well scary i hate dolls like this lmao

[Demon0000]

Jesus Christ That is Scary!

[LuxX63]

Wonderfullll!!!!!I need one for my mom!!!!She hates the dolls but this is too great!

[Clemburke1111]

Facinating, what era?

[rochelimit55555]

omg somebody clean the face and dressed it with something!

[BearBoi69]

You see, this is why I should never be a parent. I would TOTALLY put one of these right at the foot of my kids bed and let it 'play them to sleep' every single night. And then set it up on a timer to go off randomly throughout the night... with a red light shining on it from underneath. And a voice recorded to whisper their name. I'd laugh and laugh!

[69mechanik]

Yes, a thin cord on a lever pivoted to block the fly, then the other end of the cord led around the end of the bed and tied to the childs big toe. Whenever the child turns over or moves the harpist plays. Thats how we did it.

[carinalillithkell]

haha! I'd do that too!

[coralarch]

It's time for the shrunken head, kiddies.

[deliciousdazmo]

oh shite no sleep tonight!

[macp0901]

omfg scary

[mjmcgrane]

i can see why she's your favorite. her movements are graceful and expressive. the tune is also very enchanting. really fascinating!

[blosty2007]

mommy im scared!!

[maddanana]

I would love one of those. And something else to add to my collection that creeps my grandmother out!

[colouryouth]

were do u even get one of these or are they incredibly rare?

[smallville4eva]

time for NIGHTMARES kiddies

[yayocartoon]

aahhhhhhh!

[blackwhimsy]

Just gorgeous.Reminds me rather of the Brothers Quay.

All of your adopted mechanical orphans are just beautiful.

This is one of the most wonderful channels on YT.

Thank you so much for knowing what is true art and should be preserved for future generations.

A new subscriber.

[SciMasterGeneral]

I'm scared for life.

[Americangirlmonkey]

She is scary looking and that comment about the decay didnt help any.Cool though but I am more interested in writing and drawing automatons

[cannibol]

beautiful. the wear on it only adds to it, it takes a long time for a piece to absorbe the spirits of decay like this. it should be maintained but not restored.

[igmorf]

The movements are full of grace. Another amazing video. Are all this fantastic creatures yours? You're a lucky man and you know what is good.

[lackthereof0]

This is honestly one of the most amazing videos I've ever found on this site. I found myself saying "what the f*ck?" several times, but in a way that meant pure enchantment.

[haigd]

"It's more like black magic!" (Colin Clive in Bride of Frankenstein)

Thank you. Beautiful to see in action.

[sosogood]

That's TERRIFYING.

[satarieldemon]

horror...parece que se quemo en alguna batalla

[thestarrynight81]

I won't lie, this one creeped me out, I think it was the eyes T.T However, I was very enraptured by the hand movement and would have loved to seen the girl in her original state.

[coralarch]

Gorgeous music, grotesque automaton- like something from prehistoric times.

[JenovaExile]

Freaky scary! Looks like a burnt victim!

[mondomacabro]

This is amazing!  Thank you for sharing.

[OttoSpoonmore]

Lovely! Please post more antique automata!

[richragsdale]

oh my god!

that is about the coolest thing i have ever seen