Just two of the marvels of the world
of Automata that you can be transported
to. Created by SEIKO of Japan.
Automata are mechanical devices fashioned to resemble living organisms and are often in the form of either humans or animals. The creation of automata dates back to antiquity, when their mechanisms were driven by water. Few examples, however, survive from before the sixteenth century. In addition to being valued for their aesthetic qualities, automata represented wondrous examples of scientific achievement. An automaton clock is a type of striking clock featuring automatons.
Clocks like these were often built during the Middle Ages in Europe. A Cuckoo clock is a simple form of this type of clock. Often, the automatons come out on the hour to strike the bells, with Death often being one the figures, to symbolize human mortality. At the end of the Renaissance, clocks with automata were fashionable as amusing table decorations for great banquets that provided diversion to guests. Automaton clocks are among the most varied and valuable of novelty clocks.