"Keying Up" - The Court Jester  1875

A medal winner at Philadelphia's 1876 Centennial Exhibition, this early work by William Merritt Chase established his formidable artistic reputation in America. It was painted in Munich, where Chase studied at the Royal Academy of Art and where such humorous costumed scenes were especially popular. The jester in Chase's painting, fortifying himself or "keying up" with a dr...