One of the few things we can be sure about, in this famous but enigmatic work, is the fact that Gilles is a Pierrot. Watteau may have painted it as a sign for the cafe run by the former actor, Belloni, who made his name as a Pierrot. The model, a friend or another actor, is unknown. Standing with his arms dangling at his sides, with a dreamy, naive look on his face, the moonstruck Pierrot stands out monumentally and idiosyncratically against a leafy Italianate background. At the foot of the mound, reminiscent of a fairground stage, four half-hidden figures--the Doctor on his donkey, Leandre, Isabelle and the Capitaine--contribute to the singularity of the composition and the poetic drama.