Punchinello's Mistress Faints
1790–1801
Medium
Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, with touches of brush and orange watercolor, over black chalk, on ivory laid paper, prepared with a white gouache ground, laid down on grayish-ivory laid card
Dimensions
Primary support: 36.1 × 47.6 cm (14 1/4 × 18 3/4 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
151460
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, gifted son of the renowned Venetian Rococo master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, *Punchinello's Faints* between 1790 and 1801. This lively drawing captures a theatrical moment featuring Punchinello (or Pulcinella), the, humpbacked commedia dell'arte character for his mischievous humor and exaggerated antics. Popular in 18th-century Italian street theater, Punchinello embodied satire and everyday folly, and Tiepolo's late series of such scenes reflects a shift toward whimsical, caricatural storytelling after the grandeur of his father's frescoes. Executed on ivory laid paper prepared with a white gouache ground and laid down on grayish-ivory card, the work showcases Tiepolo's virtuoso mixed-media technique: pen and brown ink for precise lines, brush and brown wash for dramatic shading, black chalk underdrawing for composition, and subtle touches of orange watercolor for warmth. Measuring 36.1 × 47.6 cm, this intricate drawing from the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department highlights the artist's innovative use of prepared grounds to enhance luminosity and depth, evoking the vibrancy of stage performance. As one of Tiepolo's final works before his death in 1804, it bridges Rococo elegance with emerging Romantic caricature, offering visitors a glimpse into Venice's vibrant cultural life and the enduring appeal of commedia dell'arte.
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...