Sainte-Croix in canton Vaud in western Switzerland is sometimes referred to as the “Silicon Valley of automata”, in reference to the imaginative mechanical figures which can move automatically. The small village has a long history of mechanical art and is a treasure trove of age-old craftsmanship, preserving the secrets of its mechanical wonders. “This craft goes back several centuries,” says Denis Flageollet, master watchmaker and founder of the De Béthune brand, who works in Sainte-Croix.
“The abundance of ore and wood, and the farmers’ free time in winter, allowed for the development of this intricate craft. Geneva’s watchmakers entrusted them with creating rare and magical pieces like automata and music boxes,” he says. Automata gained recognition during the Age of Enlightenment.
Voltaire, for example, said Jacques de Vaucanson, the French inventor of automata, was a “rival with Prometheus”. In the 19th century, these creators were sometimes viewed as sorcerers, sometimes as masters of fairground arts. Their creations inspired literature, from the mechanical bird in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Nightingale to the Olimpia doll in E.
T.A. Hoffmann’s The Sandman.
Some of these masterpieces are preserved in notable collections, such as the Jaquet-Droz family automata at the Musée d’art et d’histoire in Neuchâtel External link . These creations – “The Draughtsman”, “The Musician”, and “The Writer” – continue to fasci.