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...
16th century, England, English, Europe, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tudor
The recruitment of fools and jesters was generally informal and meritocratic. They could emerge from a general pool of court entertainers, or somebody, perhaps the person whom they would serve, or a servant or courtier, would have an encounter which might lead to a...
18th century, dramatic character, Europe, German, Germany, play, primary source, quotes
Ludwig Tieck’s play Puss-in-Boots (1796) features a court scholar who in the king’s eyes has the same status and function as the jester, as he explains while hurling his sceptre at the scholar’s head: Sir Brazenbold of Scholarship! What presumption...
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...
Central Asia, folk fool, India, primary source, quotes, stories
There is an anecdote attributed to various giants of jesterdom, including the Indian Gopal, (`So exquisite was Gopal’s wit that he violated the laws of the domain and defied the Rama’s pride with impunity’), along with the Central Asian folk fool...
