Figure of Harlequin, seal
(c. 1770)
- Medium
- porcelain (soft-paste)
- Measurements
- 2.9 × 1.4 cm diameter
- Place/s of Execution
- Derby, Derbyshire, England
- Accession Number
- 2024.326
- Department
- International Decorative Arts
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Patricia Begg OAM Bequest, 2024
© Public Domain - Gallery location
- 17th & 18th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International - About this work
-
In the eighteenth century, porcelain figures depicting characters from the commedia dell’arte were extremely popular. The various characters were instantly recognisable to the audience because of their distinctive costumes and exaggerated mannerisms, and these details of costume and gesture provided rich subject matter for porcelain modellers. Harlequin was the principal character of the commedia, a witty servant figure immediately identifiable by his diamond-patterned costume.