19th century, England, Europe, fooleum, primary source, print
This hand-coloured aquatint dates from 1813 and illustrates a custom connected with Plough Stots, a form of traditional sword-dance from Yorkshire.  The core group of six dancers are accompanied by other characters, including a fool. According to the Science...
19th century, Afghanistan, fooleum, historical figure, painting, primary source, quotes, watercolour
This watercolour was done by Vigne who travelled with a Lohani caravan between Multan and Kabul in the 1830s. Although the sketch is titled ‘Fool’, we know nothing more as he doesn’t mention anything related in his travel account.Who was this...
folk fool, India, primary source, quotes, stories
A regular theme in the foolosphere has the fool besting someone supposedly wiser, smarter, holier or otherwise superior. There’s a whole raft of stories of jesters engaging with scholars and tying them in semantic knots, and in China this extends to grappling...
16th century, dramatic character, Europe, German, Germany, play, primary source, quotes
This is from a 16th century German comic play featuring a jester who mocks the real fool of the story, the visiting doctor. The doctor is learned but condescending to his friend, the jester’s master, and disparaging about life in the country even though he is...
6th century, folk fool, India, primary source, quotes, Sanskrit
A lively line up of skills and attributes reminding me of jesters and in particular vidusaka, the stock comic character of Sanskrit drama, commonly paired up in a close if argumentative relationship between a king and the jester. His appearance in plays and the...
16th century, carving, Europe, fooleum, Germany
How about this for serendipity: strolling around the V&A, I couldn’t believe my eyes when they spotted this drop-dead gorgeous towel-holder. Carved, painted and gilded oak, it was made in Northern Germany and the museum dates it to c. 1520-25. This would...
16th century, Europe, fictive fool, fooleum, German, Germany, primary source, woodcut
The latest in our series of fools peeping through their fingers, this one is a woodcut by Heinrich Vogtherr the Younger (1513-68), dated to around 1540 and so slightly later than the preceding paintings on the same theme.  He has the cap and bells complete with ass...
20th century, dramatic character, Europe, German, Germany, primary source, quotes
An early 20th century German play highlights the twin identity playing out in each of us. Ah, if we were but wise enough to see it.  Und doch nenn ich sofort euch zwei GestaltenDie unbotmäßig in euch allen walten:Ein kleiner König und ein grosser Tor.And yet I name...
