14th century, 15th century, court accounts, Europe, France, French, historical figure, primary source, quotes
European court and household account books are a gold mine for fool sleuths: they provide details of emoluments paid or provided to jesters, and in many cases give us names of jesters and whom they served, which might not be otherwise recorded. Here a list of...
15th century, Europe, fooleum, illumination, Latin, manuscript, Netherlands, primary source
This 15th century illumination of the Pietà is by the Master of the Lee Hours, an anonymous Flemish artist who contributed to a book of hours for Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (r. 1467-77) and his wife Isabelle of Bourbon. The J. Paul Getty Museum, its current...
15th century, Europe, fooleum, France, illumination, Latin, manuscript, primary source
Fools frequently pop up in various guises in medieval illuminations, sometimes with a scriptural connection, illustrating the line from Psalm 53 in which the fool is one who denies God: ‘The fool says in his heart “There is no God.”‘...
14th century, 15th century, Africa, figurine, fooleum, primary source
This beautiful brass figurine is striking and all the more so for being a rare sign of court dwarfs (or jesters?) in Africa.  Dated to 14th-15th century Edo, capital of the Kingdom of Benin (not related to the modern-day country of Benin). GAP MAP: More research...
15th century, 16th century, English, Europe, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Scotland
The feigning of folly could be profitable and in 15th century Scotland it appears there was enough of it going on to prompt a law prohibiting it. This and similar constraints were repeated in the parliamentary records for another 150 years or so; I have found such...
15th century, 16th century, 17th century, bibliography, England, Europe, historical figure, research, Scotland, Stuart, thesis
This thesis makes a strong contribution to our understanding of several aspects of the fool, building on earlier work by Jessica Secmezsoy-Urquhart and covering the period 1488-1649. Geographically, it zooms in on the Stuart (Stewart) court’s relationship with...
15th century, 16th century, bibliography, Europe, historical figure, Italy, journal paper, research
This richly illustrated paper looks at dwarfs in Italian Renaissance art, shining a light on complex and even contradictory attitudes to physical and mental alterity, with a certain revulsion at deformity existing in conjunction with an admiration for nature’s...
15th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, Ming dynasty, primary source, quotes, stories
During the reign of Emperor Ming Xianzong 明宪宗 (r. 1468-87), Zhu Yong (朱永), Duke of Baoguo, ran twelve military camps and used conscripted soldiers to repair his vast residence. The jester Brother Clown (A Chou 阿丑) used an historical allusion to expose his...
