Cleveland Museum of Art

Pierrot

Paul Gavarni

Date

c. 1850–60

Medium

watercolor heightened with white gouache on off-white wove paper

Culture

France, 19th century

Department

Drawings

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. Around the time that Paul Gavarni made this drawing, he also created a series of prints called School of the Pierrots (1851–53), which chronicled the character's misadventures.

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