Not actually one of Francini’s grottoes, but rather a depiction of a similar creation designed by a contemporary French hydraulic engineer Salomon de Caus, published in his 1615 work Les raisons des forces mouvantes.
Featured on PDR in the essay Frolicsome Engines: The Long Prehistory of Artificial Intelligence
Defecating ducks, talking busts, and mechanised Christs — Jessica Riskin on the wonderful history of automata, machines built to mimic the processes of intelligent life.
Also appearing in the essay…
Hydraulic Grotto by Salomon de Caus
Date
1615
From
Les raisons des forces mouvantes
