Court dwarf
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Several dwarfs to have had their histories recorded were employed as court dwarfs. They were owned and traded amongst people of the court, and delivered as gifts to fellow kings and queens.
19th-century depiction of servants in the Ottoman Imperial Harem: the Chief Black Eunuch (left), a court dwarf (middle) and the Chief White Eunuch (right).
Stele hieroglyph depicting the court dwarf Hed, who died with his master, from the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Den, 2850 BCE
Spanish court dwarfs with a dog by Jan van Kessel the Younger, 1670s
Portrait of Philip IV of Spain with his court dwarf by Gaspar de Crayer
Jester
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A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during royal court. Jesters were also traveling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town markets, and the discipline continues into the modern day, where jesters perform at historical-themed events.
c. 1540 woodcut of a jester, by Heinrich Vogtherr the Younger
Festival of the Archers. Master of Frankfurt, 1493. Two jesters are depicted in the centre of the picture.
John Dawson Watson – Friends in Council
17th-century engraving of Will Sommers, Henry VIII's jester