Having just returned from a holiday cruise with family on board the Costa Mediterranea, of the Italian Costa Cruise line, I am prompted to take at look at the influence of the Commedia Dell'Arte as expressed in the Lenci characters.

If you have ever been on board the Costa ship, Mediterranea, you will understand why. The richly decorated public areas reflect themes from the Italian cultural heritage, inspired by Italian palaces, art and culture, and in particular the Commedia Dell'arte.

On entering the ship you will notice the very fine display of traditional costumes of the Commedia Dell'Arte, overlooking the main foyer, and on the way to the staterooms the corridors are lined with murals of various scenes from the Commedia.

Below are some fine examples of the Lenci interpretation of characters such as Harlequin (Arlecchino, Truffaldino),and Columbina (Columbine, Harlequine, Pierrette) from Venice (Veneziana), and the mild mannered Pierrot( Pedrolino, Bertoldo), Lenci produced various models over the years, such as the examples of the Pierrot seen in the previous Claire Windsor article.

If you are interested in getting some background on the history of the Commedia Dell'arte, Wikipedia is a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commedia_dell'arte( Continued below..)

1. Columbina

2. Commedia Dell'Arte Costumes on display on the Costa Mediterranea

3. Costumes on display on the Costa Mediterranea , Harlequin on the left.

5. Scenes from the Commedia Dell'Arte in the passageways.

6. Lenci Harlequin recently seen on Ebay

9. Veneziana of 1924 (Lenci original archive photo colorized by the author )

10. Harlequin in the Lenci Ultime Notiva catalog of 1924(Private Collection)