Commedia dell'arte is a theatrical form characterized by improvised dialogue and a cast of colourful stock characters that emerged in northern Italy in the fifteenth century and rapidly gained popularity throughout Europe. The earliest known company formed in Padua in 1545, and by the turn of the seventeenth century troupes such as the Gelosi, Confidenti and Fedeli enjoyed international celebrity. Some troupes were favoured at foreign courts, especially in France.
Read more here: Met Museum