Buatier de Kolta (né Joseph Buatier;

Caluire-et-Cuire Caluire-et-Cuire (; frp, Caluéres-et-Cuéres) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the fifth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' als ...

, 18 November 1845 –

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 7 October 1903) was a French

magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

who performed throughout the latter part of the 1800s in Europe and

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Biography

Joseph Buatier was born in Caluire-et-Cuire (Rhône, France). His parents were fabric merchants. He started reading books on magic at age six, and as a teenager he was already performing in amateur magic shows in his school. However his father, a devout Catholic, wanted him to become a priest, and persuaded him to enter a seminary. At age 18, he left it and worked as a painter, sharing a studio in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

with his more talented friend Elie-Joseph Laurent (1841–1926). He also resumed his performances as amateur magician, and one was noticed by Hungarian impresario Julius Vida de Kolta, who persuaded him to make magic his profession. His shows were immediately successful and he took the stage name Buatier de Kolta, acknowledging his debt to the impresario. In 1870, he started a European tour taking him to Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain, and was invited to perform at the

Théâtre Robert-Houdin The Théâtre Robert-Houdin, initially advertised as the Théâtre des Soirées Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin, was a Paris theatre dedicated primarily to the performance of stage illusions. Founded by the famous magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdi ...

in Paris. In 1874, he left Vida de Kolta and continued with a different impresario, who in 1875 took him to the

Egyptian Hall The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson. The Hall was a considerable success, with exhibitions of artwork and of Napoleonic era re ...

in London and to Russia. In 1891, he went for his first tour to the United States. He started a second tour there in 1902, but died in New Orleans in 1903 of acute

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...

. He had married in 1879 a British woman, Alice Constance Mumford, who had him buried in London in the

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...

cemetery. De Kolta is the subject of the book ''Buatier de Kolta: Genius of Illusion'' by

Peter Warlock Philip Arnold Heseltine (30 October 189417 December 1930), known by the pseudonym Peter Warlock, was a British composer and music critic. The Warlock name, which reflects Heseltine's interest in occultism, occult practices, was used for all his ...

. The city of Lyon named a street in the Quartier Le Vernay after him.

Notable illusions

He was a contemporary of fellow French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. Many of his illusions, such as Multiplying balls, the Expanding Die, the Vanishing Lady, Spring Flowers from a Cone, and the

vanishing bird cage The vanishing bird cage, also known as the flying birdcage, is a classic parlour magic effect that was invented by French magician Buatier De Kolta. The trick has also been used by magicians Carl Hertz, Harry Beardmore, Harry Blackstone ( Sr. and ...

, are performed by magicians today. It is the Vanishing Lady that is so particularly known today and still used that magicians now refer to it as the De Kolta Chair. A woman is seated on a chair, was then covered by a large cloth, and would appear to vanish before an audience. The effect was a signature piece of

Richiardi Jr Richiardi Jr. (often billed just as Richiardi, and sometimes as Aldo Richiardi), was the stage name of magician Aldo Izquierdo (24 November 1923 – 6 September 1985), who became famous for dramatic and gory stage presentations of classic stage ill ...

– after he vanished the woman she apparently reappeared moments later from an empty trunk on the other side of the stage. During his career, perhaps his most famous illusion was the one known as "The Expanding Dice." A 200 mm-side dice on a table grew up to 800 mm and opened to reveal a young lady inside, who often was Buatier's wife.

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

purchased the dice after Buatier's death.

Biography

Notable illusions

References

Further reading

See also