Tetiana Pfaifer on Instagram: "The Peacock Clock is one of the most famous masterpieces of decorative automaton art.. When activated, the peacock slowly opens its tail, the owl turns its head, the rooster crows — and time becomes a performance. The time is shown in a slot in the cap of the mushroom. Today this is the only large 18th-century automaton that has come down to use altered and in functioning condition. Created in London by James Cox in the 1770s and later acquired for Catherine the Gr

Visual Spirits on Instagram: "The Silver Swan is a breathtaking 250-year-old automaton, handcrafted in 1773 by James Cox and John Joseph Merlin. Made of silver and powered by complex clockwork, it beautifully mimics a real swan gliding across water. It moves its head, preens its feathers, and even catches a fish, all set to gentle music. This mechanical masterpiece is still on display at the Bowes Museum in England, where it performs every day."