This is a preliminary sketch for Venetian Stage Scene, a painting now in a private collection. It combines Sickert's interests in architecture and theatre with a poignant element of fantasy.A central character of Italian and French pantomime, Pierrot was identified by his loose white clothes, white-painted face, tall hat and air of melancholy. The subject was to re-emerge a decade later, in Sickert's wartime meditation Brighton Pierrots, also on display here.