Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696–1770), 'Group of Punchinelli', c. 1730s

In the 16th century, a new theatrical tradition began to emerge in northern Italy, the Commedia dell'Arte. Marked by its improvised dialogue and cast of stock characters, plays of this genre were often performed in the open air. The term itself first appeared in the While it is uncertain whether Carlo Goldoni, an Italian playwright, first coined this term, he certainly used it to distinguish this improvised drama from the scripted comedy he typically preferred. Various troupes formed as the tradition rapidly grew in popularity throughout Europe, and as it did, it became a beloved theme for many artists. Concurrently, the ridotto emerged. This was the first state-sanctioned casino in Europe. The strictly formal dress code included three-cornered hats and masks. This anonymity allowed for illicit encounters, and the general debaucherous atmosphere served as an inspiration for many artists. Giovanni Battista Tiapolo was inspired by both the ridotto and the Commedia dell'Arte. One of the characters from the Commedia dell'Arte, Puncinello, became a favorite subject for the artist. Puncinello was a clown characterized by his prominent potbelly, hunched back, and highly caricatured facial features. Tiapolo executed at least 36 drawings of the subject from the late 1720s to the early 1760s, sometimes as a stand-alone character, and other times as a group of several Puncinelli. The majority of his drawings related to the a celebration which occurred on the final Friday of Carnival in Verona. The event celebrates the end of a famine in the 16th century, where a group of wealthy families distributed all of the necessary ingredients for gnocchi to the city's residents. In these scenes, Tiapolo shows the Puncinelli cooking, eating gnocchi, over-imbibing with wine, as well as reckoning with the consequences of their excess. One such work depicting the Venerdi Gnoccolare is A Group of Puncinelli, an oil painting realized by the artist in the 1730s. On the left, we see a few Puncinelli hunched over a pot of gnocchi, getting a whiff of the delicious dish they've just prepared. However, many of the others seem to have succumbed to the effects of their gluttony. Just in front of the pot, one of the figures is sprawled on the ground, his hand draped over a gnocchi pot. In the middle, another Puncinello is quickly following suit, stumbling backwards towards the ground while a figure attempts to On the right of the canvas, another figure is hunched over, perhaps overcome with nausea, and his behind is humorously exposed. There is a sense of drunken revelry in this bacchanalian scene, a comedic and chaotic depiction of the festivities. Several of Tiapolo's drawings were at the very least related studies, if not preparatory for the present work. Versions of the supine Puncinello on the far left of the canvas, as well as the seated Puncinello on the right, can be found in drawings by the artist which predate this painting. Drunken Puncinello again shows a figure on the ground, this time with one leg draped over a gnocchi pot. Puncinelli seems to combine a variant of each of these figures, with one Puncinello lying flat on his back, using his conical hat as a cushion, while the other sits hunched over, his pants lowered and his buttocks exposed. Even more similar is the artist's, a large group of Puncinelli, dated to the 1720s or early 1730s, whose composition bears a striking resemblance to the painting. A number of the figures within the drawing assume the same position as those in the painting, surrounded by hats, sticks, and pots strewn about the floor. Group of Puncinelli is truly a cornerstone of Tiapolo's oeuvre. Seemingly a culmination of his earlier drawings, the painting showcases the artist's excellent draftsmanship, elegantly executed, yet delightfully humorous.