Summary

Hand made marionette depicting the fictional character of Harlequin the Clown. It was manufactured and operated in Melbourne by Alex and Murray Smith, who performed as part of Le Forgeron Marionettes from 1930 until 1956.

Physical Description

Marionette depicting the Harlequin clown character, wearing a long-sleeved jacket is made of a fabric which is brown with cream diamonds and orange dots. The jacket is gathered at the cuffs and has a large orange frill collar. There is gold sequin decoration down the front and along the base of the jacket. His cream trousers are a little discoloured from water damage and there are many holes, particularly around his hips where the base of his trunk is exposed. His calves have been painted roughly in cream, turquoise and blue; his feet are black. One foot has a felt sole whereas the other does not and has it's lead filling exposed. The harlequin's hands have been painted which with black detailing, although the palms remain unpainted. His white face is in quite good condition despite fine cracks and the loss of a little paint on the tip of his nose. Facial detailing has been painted on in black and red. He has plastic, yellow-green eyes with black pupils. He wears an orange headband with a clasp at the front. The harlequin's black hair is painted on. The paintwork around his left ear is disintegrating. He has a mechanism. There are operating strings attached to numerous parts of him, including his head, limbs and shoulders. The feet have been weighted

More Information