Brighella

Common card · No. 262724

Brighella (Bergamasque dialect: Brighèla) is a masked comic character from the Italian theatre style commedia dell'arte. His early costume consisted of loose-fitting white smock and pants with green trim and was often equipped with a batocio (also batacchio or battacio, depending on region) or slapstick, or else with a wooden sword. Later, he took to wearing a sort of livery with a matching cape. He wore a greenish half-mask (traditionally an olive-green color) displaying a look of preternatural lust and greed. It is distinguished by a hook nose and thick lips, along with a thick twirled mustache to give him an offensive characteristic. He evolved out of the general Zanni, as evidenced by his costume, and came into his own around the start of the 16th century. He is loosely categorized as one of the Zanni or servant characters, although he often was portrayed as a member of the middle class, such as a tavern owner: his character could be adapted to whatever the needs to the scenario might...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Maurice Sand, Public domain