“Commedia Dell’Arte” On Theatre Buttons…
By Pam Vasilow

"All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players." -- William Shakespeare.
You find a lovely button, and the picture appears to be that of two young people frolicking on the rim of the crescent moon. Fine, but just who are they? You look it up in your trusty button book, and learn they are "Pierrot and Pierrette", the most popular characters in French pantomime. OK, it’s a theatre button, you say. You find another lovely button with what appears to be the same character -- this time he’s sneaking past the moon, and still another where he is strumming a guitar. Also Pierrot the clown? Nope. These, you learn are called "Scaramouche". Who? Pierrot, Pierrette, Scaramouche, Arlecchino, and il Dottore are just a few of the characters that can be found on an array of buttons depicting a form of theatrical performance that is the basis for comedy as we know it today. Most of the buttons were made in the 1800s, but the art form they depict is centuries old.

More than 500 years ago, roving bands of performers would travel the European countryside telling the same stories over and over. The tales they told were passed down from generations before them. Occasionally, certain political or social situations prompted the performers to ridicule the upper classes, much to the delight of their audiences, nearly all of whom were common folk. It soon became necessary for the performers to wear masks to conceal their identities from more powerful figures. No one was safe, but the more controversial the subject, the more popular they became. They went from town to town, acting out the stories, and rounding out their performances with songs and circus-tricks. Animals were often part of the acts - dogs, cats, and bears were commonly seen.

The colorful shows were extremely popular, and the largely illiterate audiences came to expect and even looked forward to seeing familiar characters and their behaviors. These characters became "stock" types. No matter where a play was being performed, or who was playing the part, each particular character always wore a mask typical of his "type", and behaved according to his "type". The story lines too became "stock", as the group of familiar characters evolved. Soon, specially trained troupes of actors took up the roles and gave them names. In Italy, where Commedia dell’ Arte was most popular during the 16th and 17th Centuries, the stock characters were known as: Arlecchino, Brighella, Columbine, il Capitano, Pulchinella, Pantalone, il Dottore, Scaramouche, and Pedrolino. In France, In France, some of the characters were carried over into French pantomime, and became Harlequin, Pierrette, Punchinello, Pantalon, and Pierrot. The storylines were based on pre-arranged synopses -- simple plot outlines -- upon which the actors "improvised" using set pieces of action known as "lazzi". The term "lazzi", literally means "trick" or "turn". Each character was known for a certain "lazzo", ("schtick") and it was these familiar bits of stage business that audiences really looked forward to. Arlecchino (Harlequin) was the prankster. In his diamond-patched costume, he got away with numerous practical jokes -- often at the expense of old Pantalone. It is from him that we get "slap-stick" comedy, made popular by Charlie Chaplin in the 1920s.

Columbine (Pierrette) was the beautiful young servant girl unhappily married (sometimes) to Pantalone. As the popularity of Commedia dell’ Arte increased, the character of old Pantalone evolved to become her father. He was always trying to marry her off to the highest bidder, but she often had affairs with the male lover - Scaramouche, and Pedrolino. Punchinello (later evolved to "Punch" in "Punch and Judy" puppet shows) was the hunchback who enjoyed hitting the other characters, such as Arlecchino. Physical "lazzi" was the most popular form of stage business. It included forms of comic violence, sadistic behavior, sexual situations, and social class rebellion. (Much of it would be shocking by today’s standards!) Pantalone was the wealthy old merchant who was sometimes married to Columbine, and sometimes just wanted to be. By the mid 17th Century this character was almost always portrayed as Columbine’s greedy father. The most horrible pranks were played upon him, always in an effort to get him away from Columbine so that the "male lover" character could be alone with her.

Il Dottore, the Doctor, was a character that was interchangeable with the Lawyer, depending upon the story. He was always played as an old, clumsy type character. The most familiar bit of "lazzi" involving il Dottore and Pantalone is where il Dottore must give poor old Pantalone an enema. While people today would be grossly disgusted to see such a thing depicted upon a stage, to 17th Century audiences this was the very height of comedy! This scene is shown on a pair of French gentleman’s cuff studs, and is highly sought after by collectors today. Who was the original owner of such buttons, we wonder? A successful actor, most likely! Scaramouche was a scheming character, who could be charming one minute and quite mean the next. He is most often found serenading Columbine under the crescent moon, or sneaking out in the moonlight to find her. On buttons, Scaramouche is almost always depicted with the crescent moon. He is generally depicted wearing the hat, collar, and flared pants typical of the Scaramouche costume. He is called "Scaramouche" because of the lute he plays. "Scaramouche" is the long accepted title of this button.

Pedrolino, or Pierrot, is the clown figure most often seen on 19th Century buttons. He is kind and gentle, and adores Columbine (Pierrette). She does not always return his love, however, so audiences often felt sorry for poor, Pedrolino. As time went on, and audiences became more sophisticated, plot lines became more complicated and Pedrolino becomes the figure who pines for Columbine from afar, and endures a lot of emotional abuses. In French pantomime, however, Pierrot and Pierrette are often portrayed as lovers. Pierrot & Pierrette, the most common of all the Commedia dell' Arte buttons, (if not of all the picture buttons in general).

In 1892, long after the popularity of Commedia dell’ Arte had dwindled, Italian composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo wrote the opera "I Pagliacci". It’s theme was based upon a troupe of Commedia dell’ Arte players, who ironically appear to be actually living the "stock" storyline. This classic "play within a play" is intended to shock the audience, and effectively does so - even today! The central figure, "Canio", (portraying Pedrolino), cannot stand it when he learns of his wife’s infidelity. In front of the shocked audience, (who at first cannot tell the play from reality) he kills his wife, Nedda -- who is portraying Columbine. He then utters one of the most ironic lines ever written: "the comedy is ended". Even though Leoncavallo’s opera was widely criticized when it first premiered, it became a very popular opera, and a great many beautiful buttons depicting "stock" Commedia dell’ Arte characters were created as a result. In addition to these, there were opera buttons created depicting Canio, dressed as Pedrolino. (It’s easy to see how we could get confused as to which is which!) These buttons, as well as many circus buttons featuring animals and acrobats can also be traced back to Commedia dell’ Arte. It’s important to remember that each button has a history. There is a story behind every picture that appears on every button. By understanding the stories, we are able to preserve and protect the history of each button. By learning the stories, we become even more fascinated with our buttons -- and thereby hangs a tale!

Article reprinted with the permission of ‘Button Bytes Light’ online magazine.