Jesters and advisers of the monarchs: Famous dwarfs of the Middle Ages on the canvases of court artists

Dwarfs in Medieval Europe were very popular, and the love of them in Italian courts bordered on mania: the clans of Ferrari, Visconti, the Medici kept them at court. The Spanish court of King Philip numbered more than a hundred dwarfs, and the French court of Catherine de Medici – about 80. The court artists, portraying the monarchs, did not forget about their favorites. They were especially sympathetic to young people and, capturing on their canvases, showed sincere sympathy for them. The story of the double portrait of the nude midget of Morgante by the Flemish Agnolo di Cosimo, which is described later in the review, is very impressive.

An indispensable attribute of the royal courts of medieval Europe were jesters and dwarfs, which served as fun for nobles and kings. Moreover, their role in the ruling courts and aristocratic families was unusually important. Continue reading →