Émile Ratier (1894-1984) Hand-cranked truck Wooden construction H. 37 cm W. 55 cm D. 26 cm Provenance: > Former Alain Bourbonnais collection, Dicy > Private collection, Paris Originally from the Lot region of France, Émile Ratier fought in the First World War, losing his sight as a result of his wounds at the age of 65. Now blind, he fought off the depression that overtook him by making "wooden articles" with cranks and noisy mechanisms: the Eiffel Tower, gas-powered buses, clocks, merry-go-rounds, boats and so on.