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Source Description
The <em>commedia dell’arte</em>, a form of Italian improvisational theater, became widely popular in 18th-century Europe. This figure, with his prominent beard and distinguishing black robe, represents the character of elderly Venetian merchant Pantalone. Depicted in paintings and porcelain, the popularity of these figures demonstrated the influence of the theater on the tastes of the wealthy.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
126365
label
Figure of Pantalone
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
126365
contentType
object
title
Figure of Pantalone
description
The <em>commedia dell’arte</em>, a form of Italian improvisational theater, became widely popular in 18th-century Europe. This figure, with his prominent beard and distinguishing black robe, represents the character of elderly Venetian merchant Pantalone. Depicted in paintings and porcelain, the popularity of these figures demonstrated the influence of the theater on the tastes of the wealthy.
date
c. 1755
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79905637
creators
14014
11614
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 20 x 7 x 9.9 cm (7 7/8 x 2 3/4 x 3 7/8 in.)
cul
France, Mennecy, 18th century
accession
1948.54
Source extras
tec
soft-paste porcelain with enamel decoration
tombstone
Figure of Pantalone, c. 1755. Mennecy Factory (French), Mennecy- Villeroy Factory (French). Soft-paste porcelain with enamel decoration; overall: 20 x 7 x 9.9 cm (7 7/8 x 2 3/4 x 3 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc., 1948.54
collection
Decorative Arts
inscriptions
inscription
Mennecy-Villeroy factory mark, incised on bottom: "DV"
didYouKnow
In the commedia dell’arte, Pantalone was known for his greed, lust, and buffoonery that made him the target of jokes.
citations
citation
Foote, Helen S. "Mennecy-Villeroy Italian Comedy Figure--Pantalone." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 35 (1948).
page_number
p. 209-210
citation
Foote, Helen S. "Soft-Paste Porcelain of France." <em>The Art Quarterly </em>XI (Autumn 1948).
page_number
p. 337, 344-45; fig. 1
citation
Chilton, Meredith, and Domenico Pietropaolo. <em>Harlequin Unmasked: The Commedia Dell'arte and Porcelain Sculpture</em>. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001.
page_number
p. 50-55, 106-109, 282
creditline
Gift of Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc.
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:32:03.394000
sourceId
126365
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Decorative Arts
med
soft-paste porcelain with enamel decoration
creatorTags
gender unknown
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e5d2a83cb8656d4e