dramatic character, India, primary source, quotes, Sanskrit
Rare to find a clear prescription concerning the recommended physical appearance of a jester type, in this case, a litany of desirable defects. This is from the Indian classic hand book of drama, the Natyasastra (c. 200 BCE), showing a wealth of permutations in comic...
15th century, 16th century, bibliography, Europe, historical figure, Italy, journal paper, research
This richly illustrated paper looks at dwarfs in Italian Renaissance art, shining a light on complex and even contradictory attitudes to physical and mental alterity, with a certain revulsion at deformity existing in conjunction with an admiration for nature’s...
16th century, Americas, Aztec, Aztec, historical figure, primary source, quotes, South America
The Aztec king Montezuma II (1466-1520) had jesters and every mention we have of them points to their having been deformed in some way. Bernal Diaz de Castillo (1492-1591) who visited Montezuma’s court, tells us that:Sometimes some little humpbacked dwarfs...
Arabic, fictive fool, Middle East, primary source, quotes, stories
Physical deformity was in many times and places a positive asset in a jester, as this example from the 1001 Nights demonstrates. In other contexts, mental disability could also be an asset. We will reference fools and jesters of either type as we go, and also bring to...
1st millennium BCE, 2nd millennium BCE, 3rd millennium BCE, 7th century BCE, Babylonian, China, Chinese, East Asia, Egypt, Egyptian, historical figure, Mesopotamia, Middle East, primary source, quotes, research
The first specific reference we have (so far) to what might be a jester concerns a dwarf or a pygmy in ancient Egypt during the reign of Neferkere (Pepi II, r. from c. 2278 BCE). An official wrote to the Pharaoh mentioning a dancing dwarf he had found, and Pepi II...
Americas, bibliography, book chapter, English, research, South America
Taubes’ paper brings to light fresh examples of Mayan figurines, including sketches that are easier to interpret than some of the original examples. It looks at the relatively cheap and popular medium of figurines, and some parallels between their subjects and...
16th century, 17th century, bibliography, English, Ottoman, research, thesis, Turkey, Turkish
This thesis gives new insights into the Ottoman court during the 16th and 17th centuries, examining the complex roles of mutes and dwarfs, including some differences between them, and some overlaps and differences between them and the archetypal court jester. As an...
