Coviello (French: ''Covielle'') is a minor character in the
Commedia dell'arte
(; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...
. He falls into the category of the
zanni
Zanni (), Zani or Zane is a character type of commedia dell'arte best known as an astute servant and a trickster. The Zanni comes from the countryside and is known to be a "dispossessed immigrant worker".Rudlin, John. ''Commedia dell'arte: An Act ...
. His name is a
double diminutive
A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...
of the name ''Giacomo'' (Jacob or James). In English, he might be called ''Jimmy'' or ''Jackie''.
The character dates back to at least the 16th century. He was typically from the southern part of Italy, and could apparently dance and play the mandolin quite well.
His mask usually portrays him with a ridiculously long beak-like nose, often near as long as his whole face. His nose and cheeks are usually painted red. He sometimes wears glasses, and is frequently shown with plumes in his hat.
Callot shows him dancing with a
slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
and a
sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
on his belt.
Niccolo Barbieri says that Coviello entertains the audience by his "grimaces and affected language." Salvator Rosa says that Coviello is "sly, adroit, supple, and conceited." In
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
's "The Bourgeois Gentleman" he disguises his master as a Turk and pretends to speak Turkish. He could apparently be stupid or clever as the actor and scenario saw fit to portray him.
Likewise his costume could vary. He sometimes wears a skintight
unitard
A unitard is a skintight, one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves, usually stopping at the wrists and ankles. It differs from a leotard which does not have long legs. The leotard is also usually considered a more feminine cloth ...
, other times he is shown clothed in pants and a
doublet
Doublet is a word derived from the Latin ''duplus'', "twofold, twice as much",