China, dramatic character, Europe, folk fool, historical figure, painting, portrait
As part of the Festival of the Fool, we invite you to join this lively, illustrated online presentation, in which Beatrice Otto will share some gems from the virtual museum of fools and jesters she is building, taking us on a short walk through ‘The...
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...
16th century, drawing, Europe, fooleum, Latin, Netherlands, primary source
​This pen and ink sketch in the margins of an early copy of Erasmus’ Praise of Folly is one of 82 done by Hans Holbein (1497/98-1543) and his elder brother Ambrosius. In this drawing, the self-appointed goddess Folly, having given a sermon of brazen...
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, English, engraving, Europe, fooleum, historical figure, portrait, primary source, Stuart
Unlike the portrait of Will Somers (d. 1560) in the Psalter of Henry VIII, this engraving is posthumous, though clearly resembles those done during his lifetime. Noteworthy is the background street scene, which seems to feature people in various forms of play and...
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...
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,...
