Posted 8 years ago
fire.stone
(2 items)
Seeking your kind assistance. Porcelain figurine obtained from a New Jersey estate. It measures 9 1/2 inches tall and weighs 3/4 of a pound. We’re told it was purchased by a relative visiting Germany possibly in the 1940s and was given as a gift to the family of the estate upon returning. The green markings on the bottom lead us to Karl Ens Volkstedt Porcelain. But we can’t verify a date for this piece, and we don’t know its name. The costume is a mystery to us and may be specific to a legend or story. Is it a jester or dancer? Is this a reference to Punchinello? Kind regards to all who help.
It's beautifully made!
Harlequin Costume.
The Harlequin is characterized by his chequered costume. His role is that of a light-hearted, nimble and astute servant, often acting to thwart the plans of his master, and pursuing his own love interest, Colombina, with wit and resourcefulness, often competing with the sterner and melancholic Pierrot. He later develops into a prototype of the romantic hero. Harlequin inherits his physical agility and his trickster qualities, as well as his name, from a mischievous "devil" character in medieval passion plays.
The Harlequin character came to England early in the 17th century and took center stage in the derived genre of the Harlequinade, developed in the early 18th century by John Rich.[3] As the Harlequinade portion of English dramatic genre pantomime developed, Harlequin was routinely paired with the character Clown. As developed by Joseph Grimaldi around 1800, Clown became the mischievous and brutish foil for the more sophisticated Harlequin, who became more of a romantic character. The most influential such pair in Victorian England were the Payne Brothers, active during the
I think he is a she. The Harlequin costume is multicoloured, I think. The different colours were originally swatches of material: green, red, yellow and brown. Some say those colours are similar to a water bird called an 'harle' or 'herle'.
Karl Ens did a Pierrot male figure in blues I think.
I think your dancer is quite different. She is dressed in blue diamonds blouse over a beautifully formed Art Deco skirt. And those dreamy eyes !!!!