Harlequin playing a musette

ca. 1755-60

Unlike the more common slapstick depiction of Harlequin, this pensive portrayal of him playing a musette-a type of bagpipe that goes far back in Celtic history-evokes the romantic commedia dell'arte figures made popular by the French painter Antoine Watteau.

Soft paste porcelain

5 x 2 1/2 in. (12.7 x 6.35 cm)

Dorothy Condon Falknor Collection of European Ceramics

87.142.71

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe", February 17, 2000-May 7, 2000 (2/17/2000 - 5/7/2000)

Published ReferencesEmerson, Julie, Jennifer Chen, & Mimi Gardner Gates, "Porcelain Stories, From China to Europe", Seattle Art Museum, 2000, pg. 228

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