Harlequin is a character in the Commedia dell’arte, a form of Italian theater in which masked actors perform broad, humorous sketches. Most figures in commedia are based on social stereotypes of 1500s Italy. Harlequin is a mischievous servant dressed in a diamond-patterned costume who vies against the clown character Pierrot for the love of Colombina, a servant girl.
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Size:
35 5/8 x 28 1/4 in. (90.49 x 71.76 cm)
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Credit:
Public Domain, Courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Art
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