German Jigging Puppets 'Marionnettes à la planchette' – c.1832 watercolour

Anon. German Jigging Puppets 'Marionnettes à la planchette'

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View the full Collection: Mary McAnulty Collection

An original c.1832 watercolour painting German Jigging Puppets 'Marionnettes à la planchette'.

A fascinating painting showing a performance of jigging puppets, or marionnettes à la planchette, that were, during the 18th and 19th centuries, frequently performed at street corners throughout Europe. Jigging puppets were made to dance by the slight variations in the tension of a thread passing through their chests horizontally from the performer’s knee to an upright post. The resulting dance had a spontaneous vitality, often lacking in more sophisticated forms of puppetry.

Mary McAnulty Collection

This picture forms part of a fine collection of works that we have for sale which were compiled around 1832 by a Mary McAnulty. The collection of works as a whole exemplifies the artistic tastes of early 19th-century England, including a number of interesting marine works, fine botanical subjects, picturesque miniatures, Continental and Scottish landscapes, and elegant portraits. Highlights include an intriguing Le Havre subject from the circle of Richard Parkes Bonington, a Folkestone view after Luke Clennell, and a fascinating Continental depiction of jigging puppets or 'Marionnettes à la planchette'. Many of the works are on wove paper watermarked John Hall 1832 and one is by Mary McAnulty herself. A batch of manuscript writing being sold along with the collection indicates a Leeds location associated with the collection.