Pedrolino

Pedrolino is a zanni, or comic servant, of the Commedia dell'Arte; the name is a hypocorism of Pedro (Peter), via the suffix -lino. The character made its first appearance in the last quarter of the 16th century, apparently as the invention of the actor with whom the role was to be long identified, Giovanni Pellesini. Contemporary illustrations suggest that his white blouse and trousers constituted "a variant of the typical zanni suit", and, like the later Pierrot, with whom he is often related or confused, Pedrolino was played unmasked (though whether his face was whitened like Pierrot's is unknown). His character owes many of its comic incongruities to his role as a "first" zanni.