Pos. 45
Harlequin, c. 1716
H 120 mm
Stoneware, cold painting, traces of bronze gilding
Inv. no. V.92
Curated by Sofia Simeth, Trainee at the Museum Angewandte Kunst
Please do not touch.
The term “fool’s licence” describes a particular form of freedom: the ability to say and do things beyond social norms without being punished — protected by the framework of humour.
Historically, this idea can be traced back to the court jesters of the Middle Ages. As outsiders, they stood outside the established social order. Precisely because they were not taken entirely seriously, they were able to speak truths that others could not. Humour thus became a means of transgression and tolerated critique.
A similar dynamic can be found in the figure of the Harlequin from the commedia dell’arte, a form of theatre that emerged in the 16th century. Within a fixed set of character types, performers were able to improvise freely. Masks and exaggerated gestures did not conceal, but rather revealed social contradictions.
Humour, then, is more than entertainment. It creates both proximity and distance, makes contradictions visible, and opens up spaces for critique. “Fool’s licence” becomes a way of playfully questioning seemingly fixed orders and initiating change.
The small stoneware figure depicts a Harlequin and was produced around 1716 in Plaue an der Havel. Shown in a slightly tilted, almost dance-like posture, it combines playfulness with a sense of reflection. The characteristic costume refers to the tradition of the commedia dell’arte, while its expression suggests a more complex role between amusement and observation.
Pos. 45
Harlequin, c. 1716
H 120 mm
Stoneware, cold painting, traces of bronze gilding
Inv. no. V.92
Curated by Sofia Simeth, Trainee at the Museum Angewandte Kunst
Please do not touch.
The term “fool’s licence” describes a particular form of freedom: the ability to say and do things beyond social norms without being punished — protected by the framework of humour.
Historically, this idea can be traced back to the court jesters of the Middle Ages. As outsiders, they stood outside the established social order. Precisely because they were not taken entirely seriously, they were able to speak truths that others could not. Humour thus became a means of transgression and tolerated critique.
A similar dynamic can be found in the figure of the Harlequin from the commedia dell’arte, a form of theatre that emerged in the 16th century. Within a fixed set of character types, performers were able to improvise freely. Masks and exaggerated gestures did not conceal, but rather revealed social contradictions.
Humour, then, is more than entertainment. It creates both proximity and distance, makes contradictions visible, and opens up spaces for critique. “Fool’s licence” becomes a way of playfully questioning seemingly fixed orders and initiating change.
The small stoneware figure depicts a Harlequin and was produced around 1716 in Plaue an der Havel. Shown in a slightly tilted, almost dance-like posture, it combines playfulness with a sense of reflection. The characteristic costume refers to the tradition of the commedia dell’arte, while its expression suggests a more complex role between amusement and observation.