A MEISSEN COMMEDIA DELL'ARTE FIGURE OF SCARAMOUCHE FROM THE DUKE OF WEISSENFELS SERIES

Reinicke's work book refers in June 1744 to '1 Scarmuz in Thon bossirt' (1 Scaramouche modelled in clay), see Meredith Chilton, 'The Duke of Weissenfels Series', in Reinhard Jansen (ed.), Commedia dell'Arte Fest der Komödianten, Stuttgart, 2001, p. 18 for the reference. It is not certain which of the two versions of Scaramouche Reinicke is referring to because there are two different versions of this figure in the series (one of which has both arms raised) and both are modelled in dancing pose.

Scaramouche, a Neapolitian valet, was most famously played by the Italian actor Tiberio Fiorelli. He was notoriously fond of drink, women and intrigue and was not above picking pockets. He was a physically expressive and argumentative character and most cetainly a braggart.

The present model is after the engraving 'Habit de Scaramouche Napolitain' by François Joullain from Luigi Riccoboni's Histoire du Théâtre Italien, Paris, 1728.

For a similar example in the Pauls-Eisenbeiss Collection (inv. no. 1975.1086.9) in the Historische Museum, Basel, see Dr. Erika Pauls-Eisenbeiss, German Porcelain of the 18th Century, London, 1972, Vol. I, p. 338, no. 17 and for the other version of the same character see p. 340, no. 19.