J2ME  "MENEGHINO"

 

He is from Milan and the Milanese people have taken him as their symbol, since the Risorgimento revolutionary movement, when they fought on the barricades against the “foreign oppressors”.  Meneghino is humble and easy-going, but he also has a strong sense of justice and honesty. He has lived in the interpretation of many artists who have made him into the typical example of the proud Porta Ticinese dweller.  The origin of his name is uncertain, but it seems to come from “Domenighin”: this was the nickname of the servants who were taken on to work for just one day a week, that is on Sundays.  In the XVII century, a Milanese writer, Carlo Maggi, gave Meneghino the surname Pecenna (“hairdresser”), in reference to his habit  to “comb” (“pettinare”, which in the Milanese variety of Italian means to attack the selfishness, the vices and the shallowness of the aristocracy and the clergy).  Meneghino’s satire against the powerful became even sharper in the words of the great poet in Milanese dialect, Carlo Porta.  Meneghino played different roles on stage, including the servant, the master, the peasant and the merchant.  Towards the end of the XIX century, when he was already well-established as a theatre character, Meneghino also appeared among marionettes and puppets.

 

Art. J2ME Small Meneghino. Five jointed parts made of terracotta, dressed in cotton fabric, treated with a special brownish bee wax for antiques; individually hand-made, hand-painted.                                           Height 16 cm.