The Immaculate Conception
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
plate: 12 1/2 x 8 3/16 in. (31.8 x 20.8 cm) sheet: 15 x 10 3/4 in. (38.1 x 27.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Dr. and Mrs. Goodwin M. Breinin Gift and A. Hyatt Mayor Purchase Fund, Marjorie Phelps Starr Bequest, 1996
Accession Number
1996.259
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Immaculate Conception*, a striking etching from around 1770, attributed to Lorenzo Tiepolo and his renowned father, Giovanni Battista Tolo. This Venetian masterwork captures the Virgin Mary in her exalted state of Immaculate Conception—a central Catholic doctrine affirming her birth without original sin. The composition, measuring 12½ x 8¼ inches on the plate, showcases the Tiepolos' signature Rococo flair: dynamic poses, luminous effects, and ethereal grace, even in the intimate scale of printmaking. Etching allowed the Tiepolos to disseminate their grand visions beyond frescoes ...