Jesters and clowns have been making us laugh with their visual antics for hundreds of years. This painted performer entertains using his agile acrobatics.
Clowns, typically characterized by their colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, and unusually large footwear are comic performers known throughout many cultures for centuries. During the 16th century the Commedia dell’arte became a huge influence on perceptions of the clown in Europe, an influence which passed through pantomime, into vaudeville and on to the touring circuses of the 19th and 20th centuries. Royal Doulton has captured some of these humorous images in their Clowns series..
