Harlequin (pronounced hahr-luh-kwin or hahr-luh-kin)
(1) A stock comic character, depicted usually wearing a
black mask and dressed in multicolored, diamond-patterned tights, often with a wooden
sword or magic wand (often with initial capital)
(2) In theater, the most famous of the zanni (the comic servant characters)
from the Italian commedia dell'arte (from
the Italian Arlecchino or one of its many
variants (Arlechin, Arlechì etc)
which was associated with the city of Bergamo.
In English the character is best known as the foppish lover of Columbine
in the English harlequinade. The
original spelling in Italian was Harlicken.
(3) A jester; a buffoon or oaf-like character; the pantomime
fool.
(4) Any of various small snakes having bright
diamond-pattern scales.
(5) Anything fancifully varied in color, decoration etc
and in commerce sometimes of a specific product (such as harlequin ice-cream)
and the eighteenth century English adjective particoloured is a reference to
the absurdity of a Harlequin’s costume.
(6) Of a greenish-chartreuse color (a specialized use in
certain industries and used sometimes both as harlequin-green &
harlequin-yellow).
(7) A clipping of “harlequin's mask”.
(8) In writing, something comic, ludicrous or absurd.
(9) In geology, a classification of opal,
(10) In fashion, the use of multi-color combinations in
other than an obviously discernible pattern.
(11) In medicine, as harlequin-type ichthyosis, (also
clipped as harlequin ichthyosis), a severe genetic disorder that results in
thickened skin over nearly the entire body at birth (“harlequin baby” & “harlequin
foetus” the historic medical slang although use of both is now often discouraged.
(12) In zoology (as a modifier in the names of certain
animals) having a white or light-hued coat with irregular patches of black or
other dark colors including various snakes, ducks (used informally), a bat, a
moth, a species of darter fish, the mantis shrimp, some insects & beetles and
any of various riodinid butterflies of the genera Taxila and Praetaxila.
(13) To remove or conjure away, as if by a harlequin's
trick; to perform antics or play ludicrous tricks.
1580–1590: From the French harlequin, from the Middle French arlequin & harlequin,
semantically (and in part phonetically), from the Italian arlecchino, from the Middle French, phonetically continuing
unattested the Old French mesniee Herlequin
(more often appearing as la maisnie
Hellequin (the household of Hellequin) although the spellings Harlequin, Halequin, Herlequin, Hierlekin & Hellekin also appear) (a malevolent
spirit; leader of band of demon horsemen who rode at night (literally
“Hellequin's escort”)), perhaps from the Middle English Herle (the (unattested) King Herle, a figure of legend identified
with Woden), from the Old English Herla
Cyning (or Herela Cyning; Helle cyn) (King Herle), rendered in the
Anglo-Latin as Herla rex and related
to the Middle English Hurlewain (a
mischievous sprite or goblin). Although
it’s uncertain, etymologists think it likely the Old English forms were related
to the Old Frisian helle kin and the Old
Norse heljar kyn (the kindred of Hell). One quirk noted in the theatrical history is
the earliest known depictions of Harlequin are of a crass and bumbling servant
rather than the amusing and magical hero familiar in the nineteenth century which
would imply the accepted story of the origin being with the world of demonic
horsemen and dark spirits might be suspect.
The other curiosity is the earliest known reference in a French text but
it lists him among Italian characters, so the Italian origin remains probable. . Because
of its origin in the name of an Italian theatrical character, Harlequin is
often used as a proper noun (although the appearance of the initial capital is
often incorrect). Harlequin is a noun
& adjective, harlequinade, harlequinery & harlequinism are nouns, harlequining
& harlequined are verbs and harlequinesque & harlequin-like are
adjectives; the noun plural is harlequins.
The logo and home-kit colors of Harlequin Football Club (1866). A rugby union club and usually referred to as “Harlequins”, they're based at the Twickenham Stoop in south-west London.
The Germanic links includes the Old High German Herilo (a personal name, derivative of heri (armed forces) and the ultimate
source of the Modern German Herres
(Army), thus the World War II (1939-1945) institution OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres; the army high command), the companion
structures being OKL (Oberkommando der
Luftwaffe: the air force high command) & OKM (Oberkommando der Marine: the navy high command), all three
structurally subordinate to OKW (Oberkommando
der Wehrmacht: the armed forces high command). To the Allies that was a familiar military
structure and it was only after the war it came to be understood how little
coordination was imposed by OKW.
The English comic theatrical genre harlequinade evolved
between the seventeen & nineteenth centuries and was a form in which clowns
(not all of them in traditional harlequin garb) were the principal protagonists
& antagonists. Originally a physical
form of comedy very much in the tradition of the Italian commedia dell'arte in which there were five main characters, the
most celebrated of which were Harlequin and his lover Columbine, it evolved
from a mime performance with music and a form of dance which, although choreographed,
was designed to appear to the audience as unstructured and sometimes chaotic. Dialogue was introduced as the appeal began
to wane but the focus was always on the colorful visual spectacle, usually as
relatively brief, intense performances being staged as a prelude to longer
musicals, operas or even ballet. In
English theatre, the popularity of harlequinade endured until World War I (1914-1918),
historians of theatre noting its successful adaptation to changing conditions
in what was becoming a more crowded environment by incorporating increasingly
elaborate stage effects. The advent of
cinema in the 1920s was the death knell for harlequinade which, labor-intensive
and demanding a large inventory of props and equipment, had become an expensive
production although the legacy lingers in the some aspects of the Christmas
pantomimes which in the UK remain popular annual events. The words pantomime entered English in the
sixteenth or seventeenth century and was from the Latin pantomīmus, from the Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómimos), the construct being πᾶς (pâs), (each,
all) + μιμέομαι (miméomai) (I mimic),
thus analyzed as “all on stage miming”, the name persisting as a generic
description even after dialogue had been introduced to the performances.
Volkswagen and the Harlekin
1960s Volkswagen advertising in the US: inverted snobbery.
In a brief era of unprecedented and not since repeated general affluence, Volkswagen in 1960s America wasn’t able to compete with the domestic manufacturers with advertising emphasizing the qualities they liked to project: power, speed, style and in some cases, sheer size. Instead they used a technique the industry called “inverted snobbery” which wasn’t new but the Volkswagen advertising of the time is thought still a classic example of the type. Knowing the Beetle had a reputation for being slow, small and anything by stylish, the campaign took those perceptions and presented them as virtues, with wry humor emphasizing practicality and economy of operation.
1960s Volkswagen advertising in the US, the first VW “Harlequin” (the term not then used).
Also, at a time when Detroit made annual changes, often with no purpose other than to ensure the new cars in the showrooms looked different for last year’s model so status-conscious buyers would be stimulated to update, Volkswagen made a point of the Beetle looking much the same from season-to-season, one from 1954 barely distinguishable from the 1964 model. For a number of reasons, the company choose usually to run the copy in black & white but there was one which really had to be in color: it featured a Beetle assembled with various panels from models made over five years, each in a different color, the harlequinesque effect said to have been achieved with physical paint on metal rather than air-brushing a photograph (doubts have be cast). As well as the subliminal messaging about timelessness, there was the practical aspect of parts interchangeability which, so it was asserted, made spare parts more readily available, something which should presumably was intended to work in unison with the advertisement suggesting the most likely need for those parts would be if one let one’s wife drive. That one might not be published today.
Whether carefully bolted together or just an air-brushed photograph, the harlequinesque Beetle might have remained a footnote in the annals of advertising had not something apparently unrelated appeared in the 1990s. It’s all a bit murky but it’s clear that somewhere within Volkswagen (the tales vary), as an allusion to the soon to be announced “block construction” concept (green=paintwork; blue=engines & chassis; yellow=interior; red=special equipment), ten of the new VW Polos were built using panels of four different colors (Chagallblau (Chagall Blue, LD5D), Flashrot (Flash Red, LP3G), Ginstergelb (Ginster Yellow, L132) & Pistazie-grün (Pistachio Green, LD6D) for use as promotional vehicles. A popular attraction after first appearing at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the much photographed cars generated so much publicity a further ten were built the following year to meet the demand from dealers who wanted one to display in their showrooms. Selfies weren’t then a thing but many turned up to be snapped by a camera wielding companion and, most unexpectedly, dealers were reporting customers actually wanting to buy one.
Despite this, Volkswagen’s corporate management wasn’t convinced
there would be sufficient demand to make a production run viable but the inquiries
from the public continued so a market study was conducted which confirmed the
cult was real and it was announced that if 1000 were ordered, 1000 would be
produced. As a novelty, there were also
1000 key-chains with numbered certificates and this was to rationalize the
production process because the buyers couldn’t choose the base color (ie the core structure to which was added doors and such). The color of the "chassis" was identified by the roof, C-pillars,
rocker panels & what lay beneath the plastic moldings, carpets and engine
bay which was of some legal significance because the base color was associated
with the title of ownership title and VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). The 1000 were thus produced but in a what
sounds a remarkably inefficient way, each Polo Harlekin painted as used on the standard production-line in the
base color and then, by hand, disassembled and reassembled in accordance with the
schedule of the Polo Harlekin color chart,
the trick being that no two removable panels of the same color were touching. In the 1960s, the colors had been an allusion to production-line standardization; by the 1990s, it was all about art (and commerce), though in a Prussian way (although the Harlekins were built in the south west), there being nothing random about which color went where.
Polo Harlekin brochure. The look does seem something which wouldn't appeal to the stereotypical German; it may be they sold well to Bavarians, it being hard to imagine a Prussian driving one. Otto von Bismarck (1815-1989; chancellor of the German Empire (the so-called “Second Reich”) 1871-1890) described a Bavarian as “halfway between an Austrian and a human being” and had the "blood & iron chancellor" lived to see der Polo Harlekin he'd have said something like “Es ist sicherzustellen, dass sämtliche Paneele die gleiche Farbgebung aufweisen” (It must be ensured that all panels have the same colour scheme).
Despite the labor intensive nature of production, presumably the accountants would have calculated things and worked out it was less expensive than disrupting the production lines, the same conclusion reached by the Ford Motor Company (FoMoCo) when arranging two small runs of Mustangs (857 in 1969 & 499 in 1970) with the Boss 429 engine. In the manner typical of such “specials”, added touches included a bright blue leather for the steering wheel, “Joker” plaid upholstery for the sport seats (so admired it would later appear in the “Joker” edition Polo), a Harlekin sticker on the hatch, blue piped floor mats, and Harlekin gear-shift knob. The other options were the usual array for the Polo, the only surprise for one being which of the four color combinations one would receive when arriving to collect one’s Polo Harlekin. The 1000 however didn’t satisfy demand so a further 2806 ended up being built, some even with right-hand-drive (RHD), all of which appear to have been sold in the UK, buyers in Australia, Japan and New Zealand denied the pleasure of their own Polo Harlekin.
1996 Volkswagen Golf Harlequin (US market). The Americans didn't take to the cult as the Europeans had.
Inspired by the European’s embrace of the Harlekin concept, Volkswagen’s North American operation decided the new world too shouldn’t be denied the particoloured treat and in 1996, 264 Mark 3 Golfs (the VW formerly and briefly later known as the Rabbit) were produced for sale in the US, all of course configured with left-hand-drive (LHD), the main visual difference being the use of Tornadorot (Tornado Red, LY3D) while in accordance with local habits, most had automatic gearboxes. Demand never went close to matching that in Europe and some sat in dealer stock for some time and one dealer in Georgia with eight on his hands had them re-made into single-color cars to attract buyers, the only remaining hint of difference the unique pattern in the grey upholstery. It echoes what some Plymouth dealers resorted to in 1970 & 1971 to shift the remaining, outlandish Superbirds (now expensive collectables), buyers of the standard Road Runner then easier to find. The Golf Harlequins haven’t attained quite that status but the oddballs have a following among VW enthusiasts and seem now to command a small price premium.
Made in Mexico: 1996 Volkswagen Beetle Harlequin. All were originally left-hand drive, this one converted the RHD in the UK.
There was one more Volkswagen Harlequin and it was the rarest of all. Although production in Germany ended in 1978 (the last cabriolets sold in the US the following year), Beetle production in Brazil lasted until 1996 and in Mexico until 2003. Officially, all of the Beetle Harlequins (all of which were fitted with Digifant fuel injection) were produced in VW's Puebla plant and sold in the the home market, hand painted on Ginster Yellow bases. Some have been photographed in Brazil but the factory denied involvement and, given Brazil’s long tradition of improvisation in such matters, it’s likely they were efforts by enterprising owners although it’s not impossible at least some were Mexican originals.
Sonia Delaunay: The colors and shapes of orphism
In the sense the colourful Volkswagens are understood, “harlequin” cars predate not only the ventures of the 1990s which came at the dawn of the internet as a mass-market commodity but even the advertisement of 1960. French artist Sonia Delaunay (1885–1979) was born in Odessa but was adopted by a rich uncle, became multi-lingual, toured the great capitals of Europe and at 18 entered the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe State Academy of Art) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. After two years, she enrolled at the Académie de La Palette (The Palette Academy; 1888-1925) in Paris which had begun as a progressive art school but early in the century it evolved into a kind of finishing school (an “un foutu terrain de reproduction” (a damned breeding ground) according to some critics) for the avant-garde; the alumni of this short-lived institution is a notable list.
The Ball (1913 and originally Le Bal Bullier (the name of a Parisian ballroom)), oil on canvas by Sonia Delaunay, Centre Pompidou, Paris. Some 3½ m (12 feet) wide, it is a classic piece in the school of Orphism.
Delaunay’s early work reflected both her academic training and the influences swirling around her but what was always striking was her use of color and a reluctance to adhere to the naturalistic. These tendencies manifested especially in her role as one of the leading practitioners of Orphism, a fork of Cubism which usually is described as an exercise in pure abstraction rendered in vivid colors. It was in part a reaction to the focus of the mainstream cubist artists on substantive subjects such as people or physical objects and their obvious aversion to using multiple color but as often seems to happen, Orphism did seem to evolve into of l'art pour l'art (art for art's sake). Orphism seems to have been the at least the conduit through which Delaunay left the world of fine art an applied her talents to fashion, publications, fabrics, wallpaper industrial structures and machines, some of the most memorable of which were cars.
Escarpins (Court Shoes) (1925) by Sonia Delaunay, Musée de la mode et du textile, Paris (Museum of Fashion and Textiles, 1905-1986) (left) and Propeller (Air Pavilion) (1937), oil on canvas by Sonia Delaunay, a wall-sized work painted for the 1937 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques (International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques Applied to Modern Life) (right).
From Orphism she brought what she called “simultaneity”, the exercise of the interplay of colors, shapes and textures within the one visual space", a dynamic she would play with when posing with some of her creations, wearing clothing also rendered in the “simultaneity” style. Even early in the century there had been “stunts” and debates about “what is art” and there is much in what Delaunay produced which can be seen as a precursor to later movements like surrealism and pop art although for those who want to deconstruct as reductively as the record allows, in a sense the path from some elements in prehistoric cave drawings to Dame Vivienne Westwood (1941–2022) is lineal (with the odd diversion).
Cars were among the many machines Delaunay decorated. Triangles (and the diamond shapes they could combine to create) were one of the notable motifs of the art deco era. From the start, Vogue was of course about frocks, shoes and such but its influence extended over the years to fields as diverse as interior decorating and industrial design. The work of Georges Lepape (1887-1971) has long been strangely neglected in the history of art deco but he was a fine practitioner whose reputation probably suffered because his compositions have always been regarded as derivative or imitative which seems unfair given there are many who are more highly regarded despite being hardly original. His cover art for Vogue’s edition of 1 January 1925 juxtaposed one of Delaunay’s (1885–1979) "simultaneous" pattern dresses and a Voisin roadster she'd decorated with an art deco motif.
1927 Voisin C14 Lumineuse,
There have been a few French cars which looked weirder than the Matra 530 (1967-1973 and not to be confused with the rather faster Matra R.530 air-to-air missile after which it was named) but the small, mid-engined sports car was visually strange enough although, almost sixty years on, it has aged rather well and the appearance would by most plausibly be accepted as something decades younger. In 1968, Matra's CEO Jean-Luc Lagardère (1928–2003) commissioned Delaunay to use a 530 as a canvas and she delivered a harlequinesque creation. The Matra is sometimes displayed though it wasn’t an exhibit at the Sonia Delaunay Tate Modern retrospective (April-August 2015), remarkably the first time her work had been showcased by an English gallery. Had she been a man, it’s likely she’d be more celebrated.
Lindsay Lohan in harlequin mode. How fashion critics will react to anything beyond the defined parameters of what's thought within their range of "right" is hard to predict: most seemed to like this.
Lindsay Lohan in November 2022 appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America to promote the Netflix movie, Falling for Christmas. What caught the eye was her outfit, the harlequinesque suit in a gallimaufry of colors from Law Roach’s (b 1978) Akris’ fall 2022 ready-to-wear collection, the assembly including a wide-lapelled jacket, turtleneck and boot cut pants fabricated in a green, yellow, red & orange drei teile (three parts) print in an irregular geometric pattern. The distinctive look was paired with a similarly eclectic combination of accessories, chunky gold hoop earrings, a cross-body Anouk envelope handbag, and Giuseppe Zanotti platform heels. The enveloping flare of the trousers concealed the shoes which was a shame, the Giuseppe Zanotti (b 1957) Bebe-style pumps in gloss metallic burgundy leather distinguished by 2-inch (50 mm) soles, 6-inch (150 mm) heels, open vamp, rakish counters and surprisingly delicate ankle straps. The designer's desire for the cut of the trousers to reach to the ground is noted but the shoes deserved to be seen.
