as picasso's mistress said, "the blue period gave way to the saltimbanques." she further recalled, "the first of these was a large canvas, a group of acrobats on a plane. some are resting, the others working. a child is trying to balance on a large ball. if i remember correctly, this canvas repainted several mes." this large painting has never been found. the imagery olivier described is known today from a small gouache study, where the performingigures e mentioned are prent, seen performing in an empty, barren landscape, the same kind of landscape which we find in "the family of saltimbanques." in one sketch for the painting, the landscape is not so barren, because here picassondicates a hoe raceaking place the outirts of paris. within this study, we find that many of the characters assume the positions they have in the final picture, but they are different in their costume. another difference involves the basket of flowers next to the little girl. in a separate study, she is shown petting a small dog. "the family of saltimbanques" resembled the study very cl