The Baptism of Christ (with Christ Standing at Left Center, His Back Turned, and a Youth Stripping in the Right Foreground)
ca. 1770–90
Medium
Pen and brown ink, light brown wash
Dimensions
10 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. (25.7 x 17.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.476
Tags
About this artwork
This drawings exemplifies the artistic traditions of its period. Created ca. 1770–90, it demonstrates the pen and brown ink, light brown wash technique characteristic of its era.
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, gifted son of the renowned Venetian master Giambattista Tolo, created *The Baptism of Christ* around 1770–90. This intimate drawing captures a pivotal biblical moment: Christ stands at left center with his back turned, immersed in the Jordan River, while a youth strips in the right foreground, heightening the narrative drama. Rendered in pen and brown ink with light brown wash on a modest 10 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. sheet, it exemplifies the fluid, expressive draftsmanship of late 18th-century Venice. The technique—energetic ink lines modulated by subtle washes—reflects the ...
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...