Touchstone, The Jester (1893), by J.W. WaterhouseThis is a small signed watercolour, of which I coul
Touchstone, The Jester (1893), by J.W. WaterhouseThis is a small signed watercolour, of which I could find almost nothing in public documents. It is a bit a-typical for the other paintings that Waterhouse made in this period, but the subject, being a character in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, could indeed have been painted by Waterhouse.Touchstone was the jester (or joker) in the play. He fell in love with a peasant’s girl: Audrey and marries her, only to find out that she used him to get an entry to the court of his master. Another tragedy lies in the fact that people hold him for the fool that he is playing. The tragic clown was already a theme in Shakespearian times! -- source link
#painting#symbolism#19th century#jester#touchstone#shakespeare