16th century, England, Europe, fooleum, historical figure, manuscript, primary source, Tudor
The Psalter of Henry VIII (r. 1509-47) was commissioned by the king who strongly identified with King David. This illumination has him playing the harp, as David did to ward off evil. It also features Will Somers, the king’s long-standing jester, whose...
17th century, England, Europe, fooleum, historical figure, painting, portrait, primary source, Scotland, Stuart
Thomas (Tom) Derry was a ‘natural’ fool in the service of Anne of Denmark (1574-1619), wife of James VI and I, and hence Queen of Scotland and England. Like many court fools, in particular those considered ‘naturals’ (that is, having some form...
16th century, Europe, fooleum, France, French, historical figure, manuscript, painting, primary source
This curious series of illuminations features the French jester Triboulet in various states of interaction with Death and others.There does appear to be a fairly clear narrative: Triboulet meets Death; Triboulet is struck down by Death; Triboulet lies in his grave...
2nd century, 3rd century, China, East Asia, fooleum, Han dynasty, painting, primary source
If you follow the Fooleum, you will have gathered that there is a relative paucity of images of Chinese jesters and related entertainers, at least when compared to the pictoral plethora in Europe.  So I was delighted to discover this Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)...
18th century, Denmark, Europe, fooleum, historical figure, painting, portrait, primary source
This portrait of a jester at the Danish court brought to my attention a jester I hadn’t yet encountered elsewhere.  The artist was German and was the Danish court painter from around 1719 onwards.  The portrait was done in 1727 and shows the jester, Otto Kyhl,...
16th century, ceramic, Europe, fooleum, primary source, Sweden
This ceramic pot handle featuring a jester’s head was found in Nya Lödöse, an archaeological site of a 16th century town beneath modern-day Gothenberg. It may therefore date from the same time. You can’t help but like his broad, beatific smile, as if...
10th century, 7th century, 8th century, 9th century, Americas, ceramic, fooleum, Mexico, primary source
These two wonderful figurines, one of them in the form of a whistle no less, caught my eye and attention. In fact, we mustn’t be fooled – although they are described as ‘jester gods’, this is only a name given by archaeologists due to their...
18th century, 19th century, carving, England, Europe, fooleum, primary source
These charming carved jesters’ heads are thought to have been used as signs for apothecaries. According to the Wellcome Collection, which owns both examples, before the widespread use of street address numbers, such signs would have been used to help people,...
