click on images to enlarge
ARLECCHINO
A modern Italian souvenir is a well-defined face of a young man
wearing a mask and fancy headgear. fig 1.
On the back are two disks, one informs this is Arlecchino and the other
has R within a square, 925 within an oval, 3 ÷ 5, as well as a minute
rectangular stamp, not shown, of a * 309 FI in a rectangle.
Alberto Naselli of Bergamo, in 1592, was the first recorded Arlecchino
or Arlequin to the French or Harlequin to the English. The name may have
evolved from the Ellecchino or Alechino, the little devil in Dante’s La
divina commedia or as a character in Medieval French miracle plays as
Hellequin, the leader of a boisterous gang of evil spirits. He may be
associated with Erlenkönig the "king of elves" of German and
Scandinavian mythology.
The traditional Italian Arlecchino of the Commedia dell’Arte wears a
black mask and a multicoloured costume. He was a scrounger; a pilferer;
is witty; intrusive; greedy; physically and morally flexible; ready to
take liberty and had scant regard for the truth. Originally he wore a
peasant's shirt and long trousers covered with multi-coloured patches
that developed into a tight-fitting costume with triangles and diamond
shapes. By the 17th century, his costume evolved with red, blue, and
green triangles arranged symmetrically and joined with yellow braid.
Over the decades, the triangles had become diamonds and his soft cap
exchanged for a pointed one often with the tail of fox or feathers
attached. He wore a black half mask; black shoes and carried a batocchio
or French batte that is usually translation as a slap stick. fig. 2,
3.
The artists, Jacques Callot (c1592-1635) and Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)
depicted Arlecchino and the playwright Pierre Marivaux (1688-1763)
developed his complex personality. The cunning but faithful valet of
Arlequin poli par l'amour or La Double Inconstance is probably a
forerunner of Pierre Beaumarchais's (1732-1799) La Folle Journée ou le
marriage de Figaro and later, he is in Paul Verlaine's (1844-1896) poem
Les Fêtes galantes
Arlequin aussi
Cet aigrefin si Fantasque
Aux costumes fous,
Ses yeux luisants sous
Son masque
Rarely seen these days but his name lives on through the 18th century
harlequin table with concealed draws and pigeonholes, raised by weights
from the interior when required, and so named as the table cum writing
desk section could be conjured away when not in use. As well, there are
animals, a travel guide, various businesses and so forth bearing his
name.
Thanks to Giorgio Busetto, who supplied the details of the marks on the
other disk. The piece was made post 1960, as indicated by the State mark
of a *, in Florence FI by silversmith 309, who is no longer active and
the R within the square is the abbreviation for Riempito. fig. 4.
Thus, the piece was created in a resin or mastic then covered with 3 to
5 grams of 925 standard silver as shown by 3 ÷ 5 although its total
weight is 45.8grams. fig. 5.
Also through the generosity of Giorgio Busetto here are the regulations
governing the manufacture Riempito
(Articolo 39 del Regolamento recante norme per l'applicazione del
Decreto Legislativo 22 Maggio 1999, n. 251)
| a) negli oggetti
parzialmente o totalmente rivestiti in lamina di metallo prezioso,
e' consentito l'uso di mastice per fissare la lamina al suo
supporto, a condizione che la densita' del mastice non sia superiore
a 2,5 g/cm 3 e che la sua percentuale in peso non superi il 25% del
peso totale dell'oggetto, e che sia incisa l'indicazione "R"
racchiusa in un quadrato, accompagnata dalla indicazione del peso
del metallo, in grammi e decimi di grammo, seguita dal simbolo "g"
per i rivestimenti in platino, palladio ed oro, e alle condizioni di
cui alla successiva lettera c) per i rivestimenti in argento; |
a) In the objects partially or totally
coated with a sheet of precious metal, the use of
putty is allowed to fix the thin sheet to its support, on condition that the
density of the putty is not more than 2,5 g/cubic cm. and that its
percentage in weight does not exceed 25% of the total weight of the
object, and that it is marked with an "R" in a square accompanied by the metal's weight
in grams and tenths of gram, followed by the symbol "g" for the
coverings in platinum, palladio and gold, and adheres to the conditions
illustrated at letter c) for the coverings in silver;
|
| b) nei piedi o
basamenti di vasi, candelabri, coppe ed oggetti affini, che per
praticita' di uso sono rinforzati ed appesantiti, e' ammessa la
introduzione di un riempimento metallico, a condizione che questo
sia applicato in maniera da poter essere smontato e che risulti
totalmente visibile o che, se ricoperto con piastre o coperchi
metallici o non metallici, tale copertura sia fissata in modo da
poter essere, anche essa, agevolmente smontata. Su ogni parte di
metallo comune, ivi comprese le piastre di copertura, deve essere
impressa l'indicazione "metallo" ovvero il nome specifico del
metallo o della lega impiegati. Nel caso in cui la piastra di
copertura sia in metallo prezioso, essa reca il marchio di
identificazione, l'indicazione del titolo, il termine "riempito",
nonche' il peso del metallo fino espresso in grammi seguito dalla
lettera "g" della piastra stessa; |
b) In the feet or bases of pots,
candelabra, cups and similar objects weighted or strengthened, is
admitted the use of a metallic filling up, to condition that this is
applied in manner to be able to be dismantled and fully visible or,
if covered with metallic or non metallic lids, such covering is
fixed so as to be easily dismantled. Every part of non precious
metal, included the covering lids, will be marked with the generic
indication "metal" or the specific name of the metal or of the
league used. When the covering is in precious metal it is marked
with its specific mark, the title, the word riempito (filled) and
its weight in grams followed from the letter "g";
|
c) nei manici dei
coltelli e' ammesso il riempimento con sostanze non metalliche senza
pregiudizio dei limiti di densita', ed e' consentito altresi' che la
lama sia fissata al manico con saldatura in metallo non prezioso a
condizione che in ogni manico sia inciso il termine "riempito" o
facoltativamente l'indicazione "R" racchiusa in un quadrato,
accompagnata dalla indicazione del peso della lega di metallo
prezioso, in grammi e decimi di grammo, seguita dal simbolo "g". Nei
manici in argento, nei quali il peso del metallo prezioso e'
inferiore o uguale a 50 grammi, detto peso pero' puo' essere
espresso anziche' col suo valore effettivo, in maniera approssimata,
facendo seguire la lettera "R" (riempito) da una delle seguenti
notazioni: due cifre, separate dal simbolo "÷" seguite dalla lettera
"g", nelle quali le cifre rappresentano, in grammi, i valori minimo
e massimo entro i quali il peso stesso deve intendersi contenuto:
1÷2, 2÷3, 3÷5, 5÷7, 7÷10, 10÷13, 13÷16, 16÷20, 20÷25, 25÷30, 30÷35,
35÷40, 40÷45, 45÷50.
|
c) In the handles
of the knives is admitted the filling with not metallic substances
without limits of its density, and is allowed to fix the blade with
welding in non-precious metal to condition that the handle bears the
word riempito or the mark "R" within a square and the indication of
the weight of the precious metal (in grams and tenths of gram)
followed by the symbol "g". In the silver handles with a weight of
precious metal inferior or equal to 50 grams the weight may be
expressed in approximate manner, using the "R" followed by two
figures, separated from the symbol "÷" and the letter "g", in which
the figures represent, in grams, the minimum and maximum weight of
the precious metal: 1÷2, 2÷3, 3÷5, 5÷7, 7÷10, 10÷13, 13÷16, 16÷20,
20÷25, 25÷30, 30÷35, 35÷40, 40÷45, 45÷50.
|
Further Reading
John Rudlin. 1994. Commedia dell'Arte: An Actor's Handbook. Routledge.
Bari Rolfe. 1977. Commedia dell'arte: A Scene-Study Book. Personabooks.
Pierre Louis Ducharte. 1966. The Italian Comedy. Dover Publications.
Mel Gordon. 1983. Lazzi: The Comic Routines of the Commedia dell'Arte.
Performing Arts Journal Publications.
Scenarios of the Commedia dell'Arte: Flaminio Scala's Il Henry F.
Salerno. 1996. Translation of Teatro Delle Favole Rappresentative.
Limelight Editions.
W. Macqueen-Pope. 1954. Here We Are Again, The Story of Pantomine as
illustrated by Illingworth. The Daily Mail Christmas edition.
(click on images to enlarge)
fig. 1
fig.2 fig.3
fig.4 fig.5
Fred Sinfield © - 2005 -
|
ASSOCIATION OF SMALL COLLECTORS OF ANTIQUE SILVER
