Lion, Lioness and Cubs
Medium
Pen and brown ink, and brush and brown wash, with traces of brown gouache, over black chalk, on ivory laid paper, laid down on blue wove paper, laid down on brown wove paper
Dimensions
18.3 × 27.4 cm (7 1/4 × 10 13/16 in.)
Classification
ink or chalk wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
6889
Art Historical Context
Behold the spirited *Lion, Lioness and Cubs*, an exquisite drawing by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727–1804), the gifted son of the Venetian Rococo master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Created in an undated sheet from the 18th century, this intimate study captures a proud lion family in dynamic poses, showcasing Domenico's mastery of animal forms with a lively, almost theatrical energy characteristic of the late Rococo style. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, it measures a modest 18.3 × 27.4 cm, inviting close contemplation of its nuanced details. Tiepolo em...
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...