Tumbler
The shadows are a crazy trick of the light;
a flicker of action plays against the screen.
This is his genius, his pushing boundaries
of visual media, hat swapped for smile,
a matter of perfect placement. The future
has nothing on him, existing beyond time.
We share a secret smile of admiration,
the silent sacrament of understanding how
this little man can light up one’s heavy heart.
Pulcinella and the Tumblers -- Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
In the 17th century Silvio Fiorillo introduced the Pulcinella character to the commedia dell'arte, and his follower Andrea Calcese ("Ciuccio") further developed the role. He was intended to be the Id-like "voice of the people." His name may have been derived from "pulcino" (chick) or "pollastrello" (rooster), and he wore a long beaklike nose, and wore a costume that provided him a top-heavy, chicken-like shape. Generally, he wore a white hat, baggy, a white, long-sleeved, loose-fitting blouse with buttons down the front, and wide-legged trousers with a belt that cinched below the belly to hold his props (a coin purse and a cudgel, his "staff of credit"). He always exhibited dual, opposing characteristics, as encapsulated in his closing couplet, "I am Prince of everything, Lord of land and main. Except for my public whose faithful servant I remain."
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