Harlequin with jug 1735 - 1745

This porcelain figure of a Harlequin with a jug was created by the Meissen Manufactory. The figure immediately strikes you with its dynamic pose and vibrant use of color. The Harlequin is perched jauntily, one leg raised, holding a jug in one hand and a hat in the other. The composition is a play of diagonals and curves, creating a sense of movement and instability. The Harlequin’s costume, patterned with alternating lozenges in vivid hues, disrupts any sense of fixed identity. We see an intentional destabilization of established meanings, values, or categories through the use of visual elements. The texture of the porcelain, smooth and delicate, contrasts with the roughness of the Harlequin’s character, creating a tension. The figure’s complex formal qualities reflect broader artistic and philosophical concerns around performance, identity, and representation. The Harlequin does not have a singular, unchanging meaning but invites an ongoing interpretation and re-interpretation.