La Saltarelle
Medium
watercolor and gouache with selective gum glazing over a faint graphite underdrawing
Dimensions
25.4 × 35.7 cm
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of Muriel Butkin
Accession Number
2010.171
Tags
male
About this artwork
During the 15th century, La Saltarelle was a popular Neapolitan court dance named for its particular leaping step, after the Italian verb saltare (to jump). Lively and merry, it was played in a fast triple meter. In the 19th century, the saltarello was featured in the Carnival celebrations preceding Lent in Rome. After witnessing the Roman Carnival of 1831, the German composer Felix Mendelssohn incorporated the dance into the finale of one of his masterpieces, the Italian Symphony.