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Source Description
Here, Punchinello characters sporting their signature conical hats and hooked-nosed masks compete against a group of men in a lively game of bocce,an Italian bowling game<em>.</em> While their exaggerated movements infuse the drawing with a sense of whimsy, the massive prison fortress behind them suggests surveillance and control. Although not overtly political, this detail may allude to Venice’s fall to the French in 1797, which led to a ban on the commedia dell’arte, Italy’s popular theater tradition with its mocking Punchinellos.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
117026
label
The Game of Bowls
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
117026
contentType
drawing
title
The Game of Bowls
description
Here, Punchinello characters sporting their signature conical hats and hooked-nosed masks compete against a group of men in a lively game of bocce,an Italian bowling game<em>.</em> While their exaggerated movements infuse the drawing with a sense of whimsy, the massive prison fortress behind them suggests surveillance and control. Although not overtly political, this detail may allude to Venice’s fall to the French in 1797, which led to a ban on the commedia dell’arte, Italy’s popular theater tradition with its mocking Punchinellos.
date
1797–1804
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60746858
creators
1185
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Image: 29.7 x 41.6 cm (11 11/16 x 16 3/8 in.); Sheet: 35.5 x 47.3 cm (14 x 18 5/8 in.)
cul
Italy, 18th century
accession
1937.571
Source extras
tec
pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, over traces of black chalk; framing lines in brown ink over graphite on antique laid paper
tombstone
Divertimento per li Regazzi (Entertainment for Children): The Game of Bowls, 1797–1804. Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (Italian, 1727–1804). Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, over traces of black chalk; framing lines in brown ink over graphite on antique laid paper; image: 29.7 x 41.6 cm (11 11/16 x 16 3/8 in.); sheet: 35.5 x 47.3 cm (14 x 18 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1937.571
series
Divertimento per li Regazzi (Entertainment for Children)
supportMaterials
description
cream(1) laid paper
collection
DR - Italian
inscriptions
inscription
signed, lower left, in brown ink: Dom°. Tiepolo f ; upper left, in brown ink: 20 ; upper left, in graphite: o ; lower right, in graphite: 20 [sideways] ; VERSO, upper right, in blue crayon: 3
didYouKnow
This drawing is part of a larger series that depicts the life of Punchinello, a clown-like character derived from Italian popular theater.
citations
citation
Francis, Henry. "Six Drawings from the Life of Pulcinella by the younger Tiepolo." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>26, no. 4 (April 1938): 46-49.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 48; Reproduced: p. 51
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 575
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:04:51.575000
sourceId
117026
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - Italian
med
pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, over traces of black chalk; framing lines in brown ink over graphite on antique laid paper
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
98f8aced1dfab740