Sketch of a River God
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors
Accession Number
1901-39-72
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, gifted son of the renowned Venetian master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo created this *Sketch of a River God* around1750. Born in Venice in 1727, honed his skills in his father's expansive workshop, where he contributed to grand frescoes and mythological scenes adorning palaces and churches across Europe. This preparatory drawing captures a dynamic figure from classical mythology—a river god, evoking the fluid power of ancient waterways personified in art since antiquity. As a study in the "figures" classification, the sketch exemplifies Tiepolo's Rococo flair: lively p...