Capitano Bonbardon and Capitano Grillo

Capitano Bonbardon and Capitano Grillo depicts two variants of the commedia dell'arte military braggart type — the capitano — whose name ('Bombard' and 'Cricket') suggest both their martial pretension and their hollow nature. The capitano character was the commedia's vehicle for satirizing mercenary soldiers and their inflated self-presentation, a type immediately recognizable to audiences across Europe where professional armies of questionable loyalty were a constant political reality. De Clermont's 1742 panel series for Lansdowne House provided an English aristocratic setting with these culturally literate theatrical references, demonstrating that its owner was familiar with both the Italian theatrical tradition and its wider European dissemination.

De Clermont's decorative style presents the two military figures in complementary poses with clear, flat color and precise outlines. The elaborate military costumes are rendered with attention to the theatrical exaggeration of each detail, maintaining the ornamental quality required for architectural decoration.