Family of Saltimbanques

Finished in 1905 by Pablo Picasso, monumental canvas in 1905, during his Rose Period. Six circus performers stand in a barren landscape: a harlequin, a jester, two acrobats, a young girl, and a seated woman. Their poses suggest both isolation and quiet solidarity.

The saltimbanques were itinerant entertainers who traveled from town to town, living on society's margins. Picasso identified with these outsiders, and some scholars see the tall harlequin as a self-portrait. The warm pinks and earth tones replace the melancholy blues of his earlier work.

At over seven feet tall and wide, this is the largest painting from Picasso's Rose Period and is considered its work. It has been at the National Gallery of Art since 1963.