Two Pierrots Balancing on Swans and Two Dancers
1820–75
Medium
Cutout in blue paper, mounted on an album sheet
Dimensions
sheet: 6 7/16 x 4 7/8 in. (16.4 x 12.4 cm) frame: 21 x 16 in. (53.3 x 40.6 cm)
Classification
Cut Paper
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mary Martin Fund, 2003
Accession Number
2003.384
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hans Christian Andersen, celebrated of fairy tales such asThe Ugly Duckling also expressed his boundless imagination paper cutting. Created 1820 and 1875, this blue-paper silhouette captures tworots—traditional comic figures—precariously balanced atop swans while dancers whirl nearby. The scene blends theatrical whimsy with Andersen’s signature motifs of transformation and graceful movement. Executed freehand with scissors, the cutout demonstrates remarkable precision and economy of line. Andersen often crafted such works as spontaneous gifts for friends and children, turning ordinary paper i...