Artwork
Polichinelle
Polichinelle is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Edouard Manet. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Edouard Manet’s lithograph entitled *Polichinelle* was produced in 1874. Executed as a seven‑color print on Japanese paper, the work belongs to the first edition of the image. It presents a single figure rendered in vivid hues, characteristic of Manet’s late printmaking experiments.
Subject & Meaning
He holds a staff and smiles broadly, embodying the theatrical stock character Polichinelle, a French adaptation of the comic Harlequin.
The central figure is a man dressed in an exaggerated costume: a tall, multicoloured hat topped with a feather, a yellow vest, green‑sleeved shirt and red trousers. He holds a staff and smiles broadly, embodying the theatrical stock character Polichinelle, a French adaptation of the comic Harlequin. The attire’s blend of flamboyance and absurdity suggests a satirical commentary on contemporary fashion and performance.
Technique & Style
Manet employed a seven‑color lithographic process, a demanding method that required separate stones for each hue. The use of Japanese paper, prized for its smooth surface and translucency, allowed fine detail and a luminous colour palette. The print’s flat areas of bright pigment and simplified forms reflect Manet’s interest in graphic clarity and the influence of Japanese prints on European art.
History & Provenance
Created in the mid‑1870s, *Polichinelle* was part of Manet’s exploration of commercial print media, a departure from his earlier oil paintings. The work was issued as a first‑edition lithograph, likely distributed to a limited audience of collectors and admirers of the artist’s print output. Its provenance traces through several private collections before entering a museum holding of nineteenth‑century French prints.
Artist & collection
Artist
Édouard Manet didn’t have much time to make his mark—he died at 51—but he used every year.
