GROUP GIFT

The Pierrot mask originated in Italy at the end of the 16th century thanks to Giovanni Pellesini, an actor with the Company of Gelosi. His character known as Pedrolino is one of the many Zanni types, a servant immediately identifiable by his baggy white costume. Pedrolino is a reliable, astute servant, with a knack for setting people up but also helping get his master out of scrapes. He is an important figure, fundamental to the play’s overall structure. Pellesini followed the Gelosis to France, where he was immediately successful, becoming a regular part of the French company’s scenarios, under the name of Pierrot. In his French guise he grew less intelligent, keeping only his honesty and love of truth, which is sometimes rather exaggerated. Following a period of decline, the mask was revived by French mime artist Jean Gaspare Debureau (1796-1846), who brought great energy to the role…