Sketch for a Ceiling with an Allegory of Fortitude and Wisdom
1780–85
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brown wash, over black chalk
Dimensions
10 1/16 x 7 7/16 in. (25.5 x 18.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.482
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo the gifted son of the renowned Venetian Rococo master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo created this delicate *Sketch for a Ceiling with an Allegory of Fort and Wisdom* around 1780–85. Working in pen and brown ink with brown over black chalk on a modest sheet measuring just 10 1/16 x 7 7/16 inches, Tiepolo captured the dynamic energy of ceiling decorations popular in grand European palaces and villas. This preparatory drawing hints at the swirling figures andistic perspectives that defined Rococo frescoes, where like Fortitude (strength and Wisdom were personified to inspire ...
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...