Cap and bells

A jester with a cap and bells

The cap and bells is a type of fool's cap with bells worn by a court fool or jester. The bells were also added to the dangling sleeves and announced the appearance of the jester.

Forms

The cap and bells could be in the following forms:

  • Ass' ears and an ass' tail, often curling forward
  • Horns
  • Cockscomb crest
  • Royal court jester costume
  • Bi-color coxcomb cap
  • Fool's cap and masque

Other forms of fool's cap in England were shaped like a monk's cowl with ass's ears, a high-pointed cap covered with bells, or a round cap with an imposing feather.[unreliable source?]

References

Uses material from the Wikipedia article Cap and bells, released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.