Non e un si bello in tante altre persone, Natura il fece, e poi roppa la stampa.
(There never was such beauty in another man. Nature made him, and then broke the mould.)
--From "Orlando Furioso" by Ludovico Ariosto
La Gran Tragedie di Ariosto Naples, Nineteenth Century The Victoria & Albert Museum |
The drawing depicts a Pulcinella-type show, however, we can clearly see that the puppets, to me, more so resemble the look of the popular Nineteenth Century Mr. Punch than they do Pulcinella. So popular was Punch that many Italian “Professors” styled their own puppets after the British Red Nose as opposed to their own masked Pulcinella.
I can't say for certain that this crowd in Naples is watching a variation of a Pulcinella character. The puppet on the left's costume is that of Arlecchino or "Harlequin." However, I would like to note that he clearly exhibits Mr. Punch's attribute of a humpback--not something usually associated with Harlequin.
The title of the performance (as depicted on the front of the fit-up) is "la gran tragedie di Ariosto.” The title refers to “Orlando Furioso,” an epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto. This poem was a popular subject for traveling puppet shows.
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