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Automaton in the form of a spider

Tobias Reichel German

before 1604

Not on view

Automata that imitated living creatures through miniaturized clockwork movements—the ultimate expression of technological expertise—were among the most popular Kunstkammer collectibles. An uncommonly minuscule movement propels the spider created by Tobias Reichel, clockmaker to the Dresden court. The crayfish automaton, which crawls forward, was one of a pair by Hans Schlottheim, a celebrated maker of automata in his era (the other crayfish, destroyed in 1945, crawled backward). Both animals here were originally painted in naturalistic colors.

Automaton in the form of a spider, Tobias Reichel (German, 1600–1605), Brass, gilding, traces of paint, iron, German, Dresden — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Automaton in the form of a spider

Maker: Tobias Reichel (German, 1600–1605)

Date: before 1604

Culture: German, Dresden

Medium: Brass, gilding, traces of paint, iron

Dimensions: Length: 1 in. (2.6 cm)

Classifications: Metalwork-Copper, Horology

Credit Line: Grünes Gewölbe, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

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The Met's comprehensive collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century.