Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
In the sixteenth century there was an enthusiasm for clockwork automata, the production of which was funded by potentates including Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and Suleyman the Magnificent. One of the craftsmen who made these automata was Hans Schlottheim. This particular piece was believed to have been owned by Rudolf II in Prague but recent evidence points to it having been on the inventory of the Kunstkammer of Augustus I, Elector of Saxony in Dresden in 1585.