Head of a Man in Profile to the Left
ca. 1740–45
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brown wash, over graphite
Dimensions
9 13/16 x 7 7/8 in. (25 x 20 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.435
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, master of the Venetian Roc style, created *Head of a Man in to the Left* around 1740–45, during the height of his career as one of Europe's most celebrated fresco painters. This intimate drawing captures the elegant profile of a man withiepolo's signature fluidity and grace, reflecting the Rococo emphasis on movement, light, and expressive form. Likely a preparatory study for one of his grand mythological or historical compositions, it showcases the artist's ability to distill character and emotion in a single, dynamic figure. Executed in pen and brown ink with brow...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo · 1696–1770
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) stands as the greatest decorative painter of eighteenth-century Europe, a Venetian master whose luminous frescoes and dynamic compositions defined the Rococo era's aesthetic zenith. Born in Venice on March 5, 1696, to a modest shipping merchant family, Tiepolo's extraordinary talent transcended his humble origins to establish him as the most sought-after artis...