This fantastic robotic dog looks a bit like an undressed K-9 from Dr. Who, but it is actually an antique found in a Paris shop. Philosophy professor Daniel Dennett discovered the 1950s robot and decided to call it Tati after influential French filmmaker Jacques Tati.

After Dennett’s discovery, he posted a plea on his site for any information about the beautiful antique gadget. A visitor to the site wrote to Dennet to inform him that the dog was commissioned by Belgian physicist Prince Louis de Broglie for his granddaughter. When the granddaughter fell on tough financial times, she sold the dog to an antique dealer.

The story has not been verified, but it is a suitably romantic and sad tale for the mechanical canine. No matter where it came from or what its initial purpose was, it’s obvious that a great amount of care went into building it.