This painting is part of a series depicting the commedia dell'arte character Harlequin. These works serve as a continuation of the artist's series of Pulcinella-inspired drawings. The title refers to the Victorian-era genre of the Harlequinade, a precursor to the skits of modern-era clowns. In this composition, Harlequin is shown asleep and dreaming with his back turned to the viewer. Bismuth's drawings can also function as a space for dreaming; however, this work can be seen to provocatively imply that artworks only create spaces for daydreams and other flights of imagination when they are left alone. Harlequin's dream embody the artist's exploration of how representations of the world shape and inform our decisions and interactions. The artist's practice frequently combines visual art and literature to call both language and image into question.