Title: Le petit Pierrot aux fleurs

(The Little Pierrot with Flowers)

Date: circa 1960

Medium: Aquatint in colours on chine collé laid on wove paper; signed in pencil

Edition: 45/100

Publisher: Roger Laboureur, Paris

Size:

– Sheet: 62.2 × 52.1 cm (24½ × 20½ in)

References:

– Online Picasso Project, Enrique Mallen (55:113)

– Michael Orozco, Picasso Interpretation Prints II: Etchings, Pochoirs & Woodcuts, no. 14 (p.30)

Le petit Pierrot aux fleurs is a poetic interpretation print created after Pablo Picasso, based on the painting Le Petit Pierrot aux Fleurs (Zervos VII.267), a portrait of the artist’s son. Executed as a colour aquatint circa 1960, the work translates Picasso’s painterly vision into a refined graphic medium while preserving the emotional resonance and symbolic delicacy of the original composition.

Printed on chine collé — a technique that enhances tonal subtlety and surface softness — the image possesses a gentle intimacy, well suited to the subject matter and the melancholic poetry of the Pierrot figure.

Pierrot is one of the most enduring figures of European theatrical and visual culture. Originating in the late 17th century with the Italian Comédie-Italienne in Paris, Pierrot evolved into the archetypal “sad clown” — a figure defined by innocence, emotional vulnerability, and unfulfilled longing. Traditionally dressed in loose white garments, with a pale face and wistful expression, Pierrot became a powerful symbol in poetry, theatre, music, and modern art.

In Picasso’s hands, Pierrot transcends costume and performance to become a psychological portrait. Here, the addition of flowers introduces themes of fragility, tenderness, and youth — reinforcing the personal dimension of the image as a portrait of the artist’s son. The figure balances between playfulness and introspection, joy and quiet melancholy.

Picasso returned repeatedly to characters from the world of theatre, circus, and pantomime throughout his career — particularly during moments of personal reflection. Pierrot, alongside Harlequin and the Saltimbanques, became a recurring alter-ego through which Picasso explored identity, vulnerability, and emotional truth.

This interpretation print, produced decades after the original painting, reflects the sustained reverence for Picasso’s imagery and the desire to re-engage with his symbolic language through printmaking. While not executed directly by Picasso, it remains firmly rooted in his visual and emotional vocabulary.

Pierrot’s presence in modern art is inseparable from broader themes of modernity: alienation, performance, and the tension between public persona and inner life. Picasso’s engagement with the character places him within a lineage that includes Watteau, Daumier, and later modernists who found in Pierrot a mirror of the artist’s own emotional landscape.

Works such as Le petit Pierrot aux fleurs offer collectors insight into how Picasso’s imagery continued to circulate, evolve, and inspire new interpretations throughout the 20th century.

With a modest edition of 45, strong bibliographic references, and a direct connection to a documented Picasso painting, Le petit Pierrot aux fleurs holds appeal for collectors interested in Picasso’s iconography and the broader tradition of interpretation prints.

The use of chine collé, the lyrical subject matter, and the enduring symbolism of Pierrot make this work particularly attractive to those drawn to narrative-rich imagery and the poetic side of modernism. It represents a thoughtful and accessible entry point into Picasso-related works, combining visual charm with cultural depth.