I first saw Isis in Harrah's Automobile Museum in Reno in about 1982.
(Harrah's bought it from the Nixon estate in 1962.)  I recognised the
piece from both the Buchner book and Roy Mosoriak's "Curious History
of Music Boxes."  Harrah's museum sold Isis at auction in 1985.

We next met at the MBSI Meeting in Teaneck, New Jersey.  Isis had
been restored by the eminent automaton rebuilder and magic specialist
John Gaughan, who demonstrated several pieces including Isis.  As a
magician myself I am proscribed from revealing any secrets, so let me
simply state that Isis is best described as a "faux automaton."

For a description of the piece and the eccentric inventor and owner,
Dr. Cecil Nixon, see "Secret Life of a Satanist" by Blanche Barton,
publ. by Feral House, Los Angeles, ISBN 0-922915-03-2, pages 71-74.
This work deals with the life of Anton LaVey, founder of the San
Francisco Church of Satan!  One of his disciples was the Hollywood
occult character Kenneth Anger, author of "Hollywood Babylon" 1 & 2.

Michael Woolf
New Zealand