PULCINELLA - A CERAMIC FIGURE FROM NAPLES

Recently Jon and I spent a day in Naples and whenever we visit this amazing city we love to wander through the historic, narrow streets of the old town. Though many tourists resist the temptation to visit this area I've always found it a wonderfully atmospheric place - a bit of old Italy which welcomes visitors but refuses to compromise its heart. I've never felt unsafe there and as long as basic precautions are taken like not wearing ostentatious clothes and accessories I think any visitor will be absolutely fine and I would recommend it. There are some wonderful things to see and experience including churches, monuments, museums, fragments of Roman Naples and an amazing series of subterranean caves and passageways which have been used by the inhabitants of the city for centuries.

VIA SAN GREGORIO ARMENO - NAPLES 

Today my article is prompted by a 5 inches tall ceramic figure I can see on the window sill above my desk which I purchased in Naples during this visit for 7 euros. It came from a very distinctive narrow street in the heart of old Naples called San Gregorio Armeno which specialises in the sale of artisan made ceramic figures. It's near the 16th century Benedictine cloister which bears the same name. Lining the street are small shops with workshops behind selling figures which essentially relate to "presepe" - Italian Christmas nativities which I've written about in previous postings. Since the 17th century craftsmen have modelled and painted traditional Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus figures, shepherds, kings, sheep and all the other usual accompaniments for a Christmas crib scene and sold them all year round in the booths in this street. In Naples however presepe have, for several centuries, traditionally also featured characters from everyday life  - individuals cooking, cleaning, shopping, and working  - for inclusion in elaborate Bethlehem settings and the craft of making and selling these continues through to the present day.

AN ARTISAN PAINTS FIGURES IN THE VIA SAN GREGORIO, NAPLES 

 Some of the shops, in recent times, have extended the tradition to include celebrity figures from contemporary life and I found it amusing to view miniature Barack Obama's, Hilary Clintons, Silvio Berlusconis and even figures of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George!

THE DUKE & DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE WITH PRINCE GEORGE
PORTRAYED AS NAPLES CERAMIC FIGURES!

The figure I chose to purchase, however, fits in to none of these categories but into another which has connections with the history of the city and one that has had an impact not just on Italian cultural life generally, but on the artistic life of Europe as a whole since the 16th century. The little white costumed figure with painted hat and black mask with tambourine in one hand is Pulcinella from the Commedia dell Arte. 

"PULCINELLA" PURCHASED IN THE VIA SAN GREGORIO, NAPLES 5" tall

The Commedia formed in the early 16th century, probably originally in the south of Italy, as a group of professional actors and actresses who made their living from staging productions in different towns and cities throughout the country. By the middle of the century troupes were performing not only in Italy but in different parts of Europe and they became especially important at the French court in the late 17th century. The term translates into English as "Comedy of Crafts" signifiying that "artigiani" or artisans were important in the productions which were usually staged outside on temporary stages. Using a combination of speech, movement, song, dance and mime - visual display was an important aspect of the events. In northern Italy the tradition of the Commedia was especially strong in Mantua, Florence and Venice where it became associated with Carnivale held between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday. Good troupes were patronised by the nobility and during carnival periods towns and cities often employed particular groups who made extra money from passing round the hat at performances. 

Interestingly there were no scripts for the theatrical events - the actors and actresses relied on improvisation for the development of stagings but based on a limited range of popular themes or scenarios which appealed to the public. Characters were based on specific and easily recognizable "stock types" such as the foolish old man, the military officer full of his own pomp or the devious manipulative servant determined to see the downfall of his master. As the Commedia evolved so did the stock characters and the were given names such as Pantelone - the miserly Venetian merchant, Dottore Gratino - the pedant from Bologna and Artelino - the mischievous servant from Bergamo.

A PERFORMANCE OF THE COMMEDIA DELL 'ARTE
Karel Dujardin 1657

 My character, Pulcinella, appears to have originated in Acerra in Campania, but he is best known for his appearance first of all in Naples productions of the Commedia. Characteristically he is dressed in white pantaloons and smock with red accessories, sometimes has a humped back and large belly and he has a big nose, a black mask and a squeaky voice. His nose is supposed to be reminiscent of a cockerell's beak and it may be that the name is derived from a dialect corruption of 'pullicino' meaning young chicken. Typically he would behave in a coarse fashion and take the role of a charlatan who could be both cruel and kind, funny and frightening but not a person to be trusted! Mostly he would have the capacity for getting himself out of most of the scrapes he got himself in to and in this sense he was popular with the crowds. He probably would be again today!

As I mentioned earlier Pulcinella's fame and celebrity spread and in the late 17th century when the Commedia was popular in France his part was played by Neapolitan actor Michelangelo Francanzani in Paris in 1665; he was a great success at the court of Louis XIV. Porcelain figures of Commedia including that of Pulcinella were even made at factories like Nyphenberg in the middle of the 18th century. In the 1760's the distinguished Venetian artist GiandomenicoTiepolo painted Pulcinella in to the series of frescos he did for the Villa Zianigo in Venice.

"PULCINELLA IN LOVE" by TIEPOLO

 But why did I choose him rather than Harlequin or Columbine or Pantalone? Well - the literature on the subject of the Commedia all implies that it was Pulcinella who was the origin of the violent Mr Punch in the English traditional puppet show - Punch and Judy - itself based on deep rooted mythologies and which first appeared in England in 1662 and went on to be popular in France and even in the American colonies. 

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TRADITIONAL ENGLISH SEASIDE PUNCH AND JUDY SHOW 

 Punch and Judy shows are still a major attraction at many traditional seaside resorts and once again this story has brought back fond memories of 1950's seaside holidays spent with my Mum and Dad at Skegness in Lincolnshire and Morecambe in Lancashire - both a very long way from Naples.