page_title: Harlequin
section_title: Famous Harlequins
hierarchical_section_title: Harlequin / Famous Harlequins
caption_attribution_description: English: Location: Commedia dell'arte; Italy
context_page_description: Harlequin is the best-known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian commedia dell'arte. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by Zan Ganassa in the late 16th century, was definitively popularized by the Italian actor Tristano Martinelli in Paris in 1584–1585, and became a stock character after Martinelli's death in 1630.
  The Harlequin is characterized by his chequered costume. His role is that of a light-hearted, nimble, and astute servant, often acting to thwart the plans of his master, and pursuing his own love interest, Columbina, with wit and resourcefulness, often competing with the sterner and melancholic Pierrot. He later develops into a prototype of the romantic hero. Harlequin inherits his physical agility and his trickster qualities, as well as his name, from a mischievous "devil" character in medieval passion plays.
  The Harlequin character first appeared in England early in the 17th century and took centre stage in the derived genre of the Harlequinade, developed in the early 18th century by John Rich. As the Harlequinade portion of English dramatic genre pantomime developed, Harlequin was routinely paired with the character Clown.
context_section_description: 16th century
  Alberto Naselli (Zan Ganassa)
  17th century
  Tristano Martinelli
  Domenico Biancolelli
  Evaristo Gherardi
  18th century
  Pier Francesco Biancolelli
  Tommaso Visentini
  Carlo Bertinazzi
  19th century
  William Payne
  The Payne Brothers
  20th century
  Marcello Moretti
caption: Marcello Moretti (1910–61). Photograph by Amleto Sartori[29]
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