Clown Face Pendant, 3.5 Inch
Sculpted and painted by hand at Oracle Art. One piece, no mold, no second chances.
What you get
- Hand-sculpted clay face with ruffed collar and pointed cap, 3.5 inches tall
- 24" silver-tone chain
- Hand-painted throughout
- Metal loop bail at the crown
- Ready to wear on arrival
About the form
The body is clay. Keep dry and clean with a soft cloth
Provenance and tradition
The whiteface clown with painted brows and exaggerated mouth traces to Joseph Grimaldi, who worked Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden in Regency London and built the character audiences called Joey with the white base, the red cheek patches, and the enormous painted grin. Grimaldi was the most famous performer in England and privately wretched, and the gap between the painted face and the man wearing it became part of the legend almost immediately.
The type here belongs to the grotesque whiteface branch: the painted mustache, the heavy brows, the ruffed collar carried over from commedia dell'arte costume, where a stiff pleated ruff marked the servant characters. American circus and carnival midway performance carried the whiteface into the 20th century. This piece lives in the uncanny valley where these two histories meet.
Original artwork rather than a reproduction of any existing character or film figure.
Who this is for
Gothic, carnival-goth, and circus-aesthetic wardrobes. Collectors of original horror art. Art-doll and assemblage collectors. Halloween costume anchoring. A gift for the person whose taste is specific enough that a generic skull would be an insult. Small parts — keep away from children and pets.
