The Cittern Player Automaton in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2020

The Cittern Player Automaton
first half of the 17th century


Object Details

Title: The Cittern Player Automaton

Date: first half of the 17th century

Culture: South German (?)

Medium: Bronze (gilded), copper (gilded)

Dimensions: 9 13/16 × 4 5/16 in., 2.5 lb. (25 × 11 cm, 1.1 kg)

Classification: Metalwork

Credit Line: Musée d'Horologerie du Locle, Château des Monts, Switzerland


Cups and automata like these two played a role in the drinking games popular during the Renaissance. The wide skirt of the alabaster figure turns into a cup when inverted; the contents had to be gulped down before the vessel could be placed back on the table. This form was later adapted to automata that could shoot arrows, point, or—as in this example—simply stop in front of a guest. Depending on the rules of the game, the guest would then be required to redeem a pledge or deliver a clever toast, in either case emptying his or her cup.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/777816