\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 Against the background of a broad avenue, that is covered with snow and lined with bare trees, the tragic aftermath of a due
l fought between men wearing masks is portrayed.\par
Pierrot, whose deathly pale face and white costume blend into the surrounding landscape, has been fatally wounded.\par
He is supported by a figure dressed in the black costume of Domino Duc de Guise
and another in a broad red cloak decorated with arabesques of a Venetian doge.\par
On the right û barely visible in the misty atmosphereû the victor of the duel, who is dressed as a Native American, is moving away, accompanied by Harlequin. Near him, a
few colored feathers lie on the snow, where they have fallen from his costume during the fight.\par
The picture may have been inspired by a duel that actually took place in Paris, in the Bois de Boulogne, during the winter of 1856-7.\par
Here GΘr⌠me ha
s produced one of his finest works, displaying a refined gift for coloring that allows him to capture many shades of white on the canvas.\par
The painting came to the Hermitage from the museum of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1922.
