Caterina's Colombina: The Birth of a Female Trickster in Seventeenth-Century France

This essay is devoted to the seventeenth-century Italian actress Caterina Biancolelli, who lived and acted in France during the reign of Louis XIV, and, in particular, to her creation of the famous comedic role of Colombina. It explores how Caterina’s character acts as a superb illustration of transgressive humor, subversive performance, and improvisational comedy by drawing from the rich oral tradition of the female performers in the commedia dell’arte tradition as well as from her own comedic genius.