Carved Boxwood Maquette for a Harlequin Figure from the Commedia dell’Arte

Period: 1700-1800

Origin: Germany

Medium: Bowood

Literature: The origins of the Italian comedy and that of Harlequin are lost in the mist of time. However, actor / mime artists portraying these characters were travelling all over Europe in the 16th /17th and 18th centuries, and it is from these shows and performances that the English pantomime Punch and Judy originates.
Next to the great porcelain modellers Kaendler and Melchior of Meissen, Bustelli is one of the greatest porcelain artists of the 18th century. There is a graceful charm in his figures and especially in his many Italian comedians that can be seen in this boxwood maquette.