The theme of the saltimbanque, or itinerant circus performer, dominated Picasso's work from late 1904 to 1906. This drypoint of a young acrobat balancing on a ball while other members of his troupe carry out mundane tasks anticipates two major canvases of 1905, Young Acrobat on a Ball (The Pushin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow) and Family of Saltimbanques (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.).
