Child Conjuror, a gilt metal inkwell based on a bronze inkwell by H. Perrot. A figure of a young boy balances a sword on his head, with an inverted hat at the point of the sword. The figure stands besides a table on which are cups, balls and playing cards, and other items of conjuring equipment are scattered over the circular base. The top of the table lifts to reveal the ink container.

This boy is modelled performing the age-old skill of balancing an object Odin the body, which has been practised ever since man fashioned object, and is still performed today. An early 14th century illustration from the Du Bois Hours shows a woman performing a backbend, balancing a vase on her stomach. The tricks can simply comprise balancing a single object on a performer’s body, or catching and balancing an object without the use of the performer’s hands. He also has magic equipment on his table, including that for the cup and ball trick, one of the oldest recorded tricks of misdirection in the history of magic.