'Harlequin' was one of González's earliest welded iron sculptures. After collaborating with Picasso in making a number of welded sculptures, González decided to make his own works. The head and the harlequin's patterned costume are re-created, but the sculpture works principally in sculptural terms, as an assembly of solids and voids, volumes and flat planes. González is regarded as the pioneer of welding, which challenges traditional sculpture techniques such as modelling in clay or carving in stone. The original iron version of 'Harlequin' is in the Kunsthaus in Zurich; this version is a posthumous bronze cast.