Mime came to Paris in the early 1800's. It was here that the most famous character, the lovesick Perriot, developed by Bohemian Jean Gaspard Batiste Deburau, was founded. My newest ornament is based on my interpertation of the original French mime.
Perriot's head is sculpted from Paperclay. I painted his entire head with a pearl acrylic and then added his makeup. His base is another wonderfully old wooden bobbin from Nannykin's sewing box and I added decorative papers, black glitter and an organza bow. A sheer black ruffle collar and a black beret complete his costume.
I'm thrilled with how he turned out! Originally, I had intended to make a witch ornament, but while I was sanding his face this morning, I kept seeing an image of a mime. I decided to go with my feeling, and did a bit of research on the subject of mimes while I was working. By the way, mime as entertainment dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, but it was in France that schools of mime where established.
