Columbine, Figure, 1760

Columbine, Figure, 1760 by Franz Anton Bustelli. He modeled sixteen characters from the Italian commedia dell'arte, each figure is meant to have a sense of movement. Porcelain Figure of Harlequin is on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art along with some of the other fingers from the set. Commedia dell'arte is a theatrical form characterized by improvised scripts and characters that gained popularity in northern Italy and throughout Europe in the fifteenth century. The distinctive costumes and stylized postures held particular appeal for modelers of small sculpture such as Franz Anton Bustelli.