ABSTRACT
Given that texts and verbal accounts about the early period of commedia dell’arte are rare and that theatrical presentation is in any case difficult to capture in words, images of theatre were always much sought for. This interest recently gained additional emphasis through the work of Margaret Katritzky (2006), who developed a new approach to the identification of figures of commedia dell’arte in pictures. However, the aim of this chapter will be different from a social or cultural history of theatre. The focus will be on a few images created by the best artists of the period that capture in a visionary manner the very ‘spirit’ of commedia dell’arte.
