The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Figure of Pantalone

c. 1755
manufacturer

Mennecy Factory

(French)
manufacturer

Mennecy- Villeroy Factory

(French)
France, Mennecy, 18th century
soft-paste porcelain with enamel decoration
Overall: 20 x 7 x 9.9 cm (7 7/8 x 2 3/4 x 3 7/8 in.)
Gift of Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc. 1948.54
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

In the commedia dell’arte, Pantalone was known for his greed, lust, and buffoonery that made him the target of jokes.

Description

The commedia dell’arte, a form of Italian improvisational theater, became widely popular in 18th-century Europe. This figure, with his prominent beard and distinguishing black robe, represents the character of elderly Venetian merchant Pantalone. Depicted in paintings and porcelain, the popularity of these figures demonstrated the influence of the theater on the tastes of the wealthy.
  • Foote, Helen S. "Mennecy-Villeroy Italian Comedy Figure--Pantalone." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 35 (1948). p. 209-210
    Foote, Helen S. "Soft-Paste Porcelain of France." The Art Quarterly XI (Autumn 1948). p. 337, 344-45; fig. 1
    Chilton, Meredith, and Domenico Pietropaolo. Harlequin Unmasked: The Commedia Dell'arte and Porcelain Sculpture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. p. 50-55, 106-109, 282
  • The Artist and the Theater. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 5-September 12, 1960).
    Harlequin and the Arts. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (organizer) (September 29-November 10, 1957).
  • {{cite web|title=Figure of Pantalone|url=false|author=Mennecy Factory, Mennecy- Villeroy Factory|year=c. 1755|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1948.54