17th century, England, Europe, fooleum, historical figure, painting, portrait, primary source, Stuart
Thomas (or Tom) Killigrew (1612-83) was an actor, theatre manager and acknowledged jester to Charles II (r. 1660-85) – there is a reference in the court accounts to payments made to him for lengths of rather sumptuous cloths such as velvet and damask, explicitly...
17th century, England, English, Europe, fooleum, painting, primary source, Stuart
This early 17th century painting of two jesters and a marotte (fool’s head bauble or stick) taps into the theme of ‘Who’s the missing fool?’ in which an image posed a visual quandary. The painting is entitled ‘We three...
18th century, fooleum, India, painting, primary source, watercolour
Another telling of the three-step trick (careful what you ask for, careful what you give), concerning the god Vishnu coming to earth as a dwarf Brahmin. This watercolour is glorious in its colours and details, down to the short, dark-skinned god-in-disguise....
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, Europe, fooleum, Germany, Netherlands, painting, primary source, woodcut
Having posted individual notes on an enigmatic series of similar paintings, it feels time to pull them together in one place, also allowing the various finger-peeping fools to be viewed alongside each other. We will soon add some related prints and in the meantime,...
