Angelo Constantini as the valet Mezzetino. Engraving late 17th century

On a stage before a scene of hills, lake and trees, stands a male figure, the weight on his left leg, the right in front, with his left hand at his waist, the right held out from the body and his head turned towards it. He wears a striped costume, with a loose crowned 'bonnet', long buttoned jacket, with neck frill and cuffs, with small oversleeves cut into lappets, full knee-breeches and ankle-high shoes; to the back is a cloak, which drapes over the proper left arm, the proper right side pulled round across the body and held by the proper left hand.

Given by Dame Marie Rambert

The print is part of the collection of dance prints amassed by Marie Rambert and her husband, Ashley Dukes in the first half of the 20th century. Eventually numbering 145 items, some of which had belonged to the ballerina Anna Pavlova, it was one of the first and most important specialist collections in private hands.
Rambert bought the first print as a wedding present but could not bear to give it away. As the collection grew, it was displayed in the bar of the Mercury Theatre, the headquarters of Ballet Rambert, but in 1968, Rambert gave the collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum; seven duplicates were returned to Rambert, but these are catalogued in Ivor Guest's A Gallery of Romantic Ballet, which was published before the collection came to the V&A. Although often referred to as a collection of Romantic Ballet prints, there are also important engravings of 17th and 18th century performers, as well as lithographs from the later 19th century, by which time the great days of the ballet in London and Paris were over.

This engraving is one of many celebrating the popularity of the commedia players in France. There were several servant figures in the commedia, and Angelo Constantini specialized in the role of the valet, Mezzetino, an ambiguous figure who could either betray his master or serve him with dog-like devotion.
Commedia dell'arte (literally 'artistic comedy') developed in 16th century Italy. A company consisted of about ten actors, each of whom developed a specific type of character and comic business, such as a swaggering Captain, old men like Pantaloon or the Doctor, a simple clown and young lovers. The performance was improvised around these stock characters and a pre-agreed plot. The troupes spread into France and came to England in the mid 17th century; stock characters like Harlequin, Columbine, Pantaloon and Clown developed into the English Harlequinade, while Pulcinella, developed into Mr Punch.

As printed: A Paris chez J. Mariette rüe St. Jacques aux Colonnes d'Hercules avec Privil du Roy

This engraving is one of many celebrating the popularity of the commedia players in France. There were several servant figures in the commedia, and Angelo Constantini specialized in the role of the valet, Mezzetino, an ambiguous figure who could either betray his master or serve him with dog-like devotion.
Commedia dell'arte (literally 'artistic comedy') developed in 16th century Italy. A company consisted of about ten actors, each of whom developed a specific type of character and comic business, such as a swaggering Captain, old men like Pantaloon or the Doctor, a simple clown and young lovers. The performance was improvised around these stock characters and a pre-agreed plot. The troupes spread into France and came to England in the mid 17th century; stock characters like Harlequin, Columbine, Pantaloon and Clown developed into the English Harlequinade, while Pulcinella, developed into Mr Punch.

E.4950-1968