Tristano Martinelli (c. 1556 – 1630), called Dominus Arlecchinorum, the "Master of Harlequins", was an Italian actor in the commedia dell'arte tradition.He is probably the first actor to use the name "Harlequin" for the secondo ("second") Zanni role.
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👉 Tristano Martinelli in the context of Portrait of an Actor
Portrait of an Actor (Italian: Ritratto di un attore; French: Portrait de Comédien; Russian: Портрет актера) is a painting by Domenico Fetti in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was probably painted in 1621 or 1622 in Mantua, Italy. The sitter, who is holding a theatre mask, is believed to be a commedia dell'arte actor, either Tristano Martinelli or Francesco Andreini. There is a well known copy of the portrait by an unidentified artist in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice.
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Tristano Martinelli in the context of Harlequin
Harlequin (/ˈhɑːrləkwɪn/, Italian: Arlecchino, Italian: [arlekˈkiːno]; Lombard: Arlechin, Lombard: [arleˈki]) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan Ganassa in the late 16th century, was definitively popularized by the Italian actor Tristano Martinelli in Paris in 1584–1585, and became a stock character after Martinelli's death in 1630.
The Harlequin is characterised by his checkered costume. His role is that of a light-hearted, nimble, and astute servant, often acting to thwart the plans of his master, and pursuing his own love interest, Columbine, with wit and resourcefulness, often competing with the sterner and melancholic Pierrot. He later develops into a prototype of the romantic hero. Harlequin inherits his physical agility and his trickster qualities, as well as his name, from a mischievous "devil" character in medieval Passion Plays.