The
history of Punch, or Pulcinella as he was called,
dates back to the 1600 century in Italy.
Punch may have inherited his hump and his hooked nose from
a Roman clown. Comedian, Savio Fiorillo ( whose work dates
to about 1600), in the commedia dellí arte.
Pulcinella was a braggart and a coward both in the live and
puppet theaters, and of course, the type traces back to the
first days of the Atellan farces. Before long Punch crossed
the Alps into France with troupes of puppet players.
By 1630, he was performing in Paris, where he made quite a
reputation for himself.
The first reference to him in England is dated May 9, 1662,
and noted, appropriately enough, by that incurable diarist
Samuel Pepys. On that date he saw an Italian puppet play at
an alehouse in Covent Garden and found it ì very pretty, the
best I ever saw.î
The next thirty-five or forty years, however, were a time
of great changes in Punchís development. The style of the
Italian shows was quickly adopted by the English, who made
it their own.
Judy, seem to have appeared in Punchís life some time after
1688, and by 1700, or perhaps a bit later, Punch was an established
comic character of such popularity that few shows could succeed
without a major part of him. Thus was the beginning of Punch
and Judy.
We have designed and created these beautifully handcrafted
hand puppets of Punch and Judy, using imported tapestries
with a design that fits the period and sculptures that depict
the characters.
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