Pierrot

Description

This drawing, by caricaturist Paul Gavarni, presents a character from pantomime and festival culture. Called Pierrot, he is recognizable by his comically ill-fitting clothes and was popular in performances during Gavarni's lifetime. The artist drew Pierrot several times late in his career, often adding humorous captions, which likely related to his work in printmaking and illustration.

Provenance

(Keppel & Co., New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH) (?-1923); Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1923-)

Pierrot

Paul Gavarni

c. 1850–60

Accession Number

1923.854

Medium

watercolor heightened with white gouache on off-white wove paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 31.8 x 21 cm (12 1/2 x 8 1/4 in.)

Classification

Drawing

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Dudley P. Allen Fund