Lot 1140
ASTOR & LUCAS 19THC ENGLISH BARREL ORGAN
an early 19thc Gothic style barrel organ with decorative facade and lower storage compartment, with an arrangement of pipes, drum and triangle and with 3 large cylinders. With a hand operated crank and 5 levers with labels above to denote use (Diapason, Principal, Fifteenth, Drum, Triangle). With an additional lever on one side, with ten slots to select different tunes. Marked, Astor & Lucas Patent, No 62 Sun St, London. 68ins (173cms) high
*German born George Astor was born to a poor family, he emigrated to London in the 1770's establishing a business as a flute maker with his brother John, and then diversified into repairing Church Organs and finally making Chamber Organs. The Astor and Lucas patent would seem to date this to 1807-1811.
