A Bull Lying Down, and Two Donkeys, in a Landscape

Art Historical Context

In the serene "A Bull Lying Down, Two Donkeys, in Landscape," created around 1760–61, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo a peaceful pastoral moment with masterful economy. This intimate drawing, measuring just 7 3/8 x 11 1/8 inches, belongs to the Robert Lehman Collection The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the artist's Rococo flair for lively, naturalistic scenes. Tiepolo, the gifted son of Venetian master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, his skills in the vibrant workshops of 18th-century, where he produced countless drawings as studies for frescoes and paintings. Working in pen and brown ink with brown wash over black chalk, he builds depth through fluid lines and subtle tonal washes, evoking soft sunlight filtering over the animals' forms and rolling terrain. These techniques highlight his precision in rendering animal anatomy—from the bull's relaxed bulk to the donkeys' alert ears—blending observation with decorative elegance. Such animal vignettes reflect the Rococo era's delight in everyday rural life, offering a charming counterpoint to Tiepolo's grander mythological works. A testament to his enduring draftsmanship, this piece invites visitors to appreciate the quiet poetry of nature preserved in ink.

About the Artist

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo · 1727–1804

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727-1804) was a Venetian painter, printmaker, and draftsman whose career spanned the twilight of the Rococo era. Born on August 30, 1727, in Venice as the eldest son of the celebrated Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, he worked both in his father's shadow and as a significant independent artist who developed a distinctly earthbound and humanistic vision. Domenico's importance...