Harlequin, Pierrot et Scapin thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Europe 1600-1815, Room 2a

Harlequin, Pierrot et Scapin

Print
1719 (dated)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This etching is one of ten made by the printmaker Louis Surugue after paintings by Jean-Antoine Watteau. Watteau painted a number of theatrical subjects and also used them as part of his larger compositions of gatherings called 'fêtes galantes'. The text below this etching focusses on the character Crispin's flirtation with the young lady and suggests that theatre, though comedy, often reflects life.

Commedia dell'arte was an Italian form of improvised comedy, interspersed with musical and acrobatic routines, performed by troupes of travelling performers from the middle of the 16th century. It became popular throughout Europe and in royal courts, especially in France, and influenced other dramatic forms.

Costumes of the commedia dell'arte characters would be instantly recognisable to viewers based on the social status suggested by the costume of the non-masked characters, such as the lovers (innamorati), around whom the stories often revolved, and the coloured leather masks, costume, props and gestures of the stock comic characters. The Harlequin, recognisable by his contrasting, two-colour costume and black mask, was one of the scheming servants (zanni). Pierrot is a variant of the melancholic character Pedrolino, who wore white and a whitened face. Scapino is a variant of the character Brighella.

The painting after which this etching was made was owned by Sir Joshua Reynolds and is now in the Waddeson Collection.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Harlequin, Pierrot et Scapin (assigned by artist)
  • Les Petits comédiéns italiens (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Etching
Brief description
Etching, Harlequin, Pierrot et Scapin, etched by Surugue after a painting by Watteau; French, 1719.
Physical description
Image showing Pierrot, Harlequin and other commedia dell'arte characters standing in front of a stage curtain. Pierrot stands to the left next to a sculpture. To his right in front of the curtain, are, from left to right, Harlequin in an animated pose with hands on hip and cap, wearing a black mask; next, a young lady identified in the verse as Silvie playing the guitar and sitting in profile facing right, but looking over her right shoulder roughly at a point to the right of the viewer; sitting next to her Crispin, with his face leaning in towards hers, a portly figure wearing black buttoned coat with white collar and black rimmed hat. He has a sword. Behind the front four figures, visible between Harlequin and Silvie, another capped and masked character, Scapin, looks out over them from behind the curtain. Below the image are eight lines of French verse in two columns.
Dimensions
  • Trimmed to height: 227mm
  • Trimmed to width: 237mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Wateaux pinxit (Left below image)
  • L. Surugue Sculp. 1719 (Right below image)
  • Arlequin, Pierrot et Scapin / En dançant ont L'Ame rauie, / Pendant que le fourbe Crispin / En conte á la jeune siluie / Ce que t'offre ici le pinceau, / Quoique pris de la Comedie, / N'est que trop souvent le tableau / De ce qui se passe en la vie. (Eight lines of verse in French in two columns, below image)
  • [large watermark: IHS in roundel, with wide H, surmounted by cross] (central right)
  • Se vent a Paris chez Sirois sur le Quai Neuf aux Arries. de Frances. A.P.R (Bottom centre of sheet below image)
Object history
Purchase from R. Jackson 1889.

This one of the ten engravings after paintings by Watteau that were published by Sirois between 1717-26. The plates were bought afte his death by François Chéreau in about 1726-1728, who substituted the address below the print for his own (see refs, Glorieux).
Subjects depicted
Summary
This etching is one of ten made by the printmaker Louis Surugue after paintings by Jean-Antoine Watteau. Watteau painted a number of theatrical subjects and also used them as part of his larger compositions of gatherings called 'fêtes galantes'. The text below this etching focusses on the character Crispin's flirtation with the young lady and suggests that theatre, though comedy, often reflects life.

Commedia dell'arte was an Italian form of improvised comedy, interspersed with musical and acrobatic routines, performed by troupes of travelling performers from the middle of the 16th century. It became popular throughout Europe and in royal courts, especially in France, and influenced other dramatic forms.

Costumes of the commedia dell'arte characters would be instantly recognisable to viewers based on the social status suggested by the costume of the non-masked characters, such as the lovers (innamorati), around whom the stories often revolved, and the coloured leather masks, costume, props and gestures of the stock comic characters. The Harlequin, recognisable by his contrasting, two-colour costume and black mask, was one of the scheming servants (zanni). Pierrot is a variant of the melancholic character Pedrolino, who wore white and a whitened face. Scapino is a variant of the character Brighella.

The painting after which this etching was made was owned by Sir Joshua Reynolds and is now in the Waddeson Collection.
Bibliographic reference
Glorieux, Guillaume. À l'enseigne de Gersaint. Edme-François Gersaint, marchand d'art sur le pont Notre-Dame (1694-1750). Seyssel, Champ Vallon, 2002, p. 183.
Collection
Accession number
E.200-1889

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest