In a series of over forty drawings derived from contemporary satires, Claude Gillot chronicled the audacious antics of Harlequin, the resourceful protagonist of slapstick comedies performed at open-air theaters. This scene from a romantic farce depicts Harlequin disguised in the robes of a police commissioner, bringing a document to be signed. The notary, played by Scaramouche, believes it to be a complaint, but Harlequin, and the audience, know it is a marriage contract.
Claude Gillot (1673–1722), Harlequin, False Commissioner, at the Notary. Pen and black ink with red watercolor over traces of black chalk. Purchased on the Rousuck Fund and the Ryskamp Fund, inv. 2017.333.