The Woman with a Tambourine

The Woman with a Tambourine by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (Italian, 1727–1804)

Medium

pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, over black chalk; framing lines in pen and brown ink over graphite

Dimensions

{"sheet":{"height":0.354,"width":0.473},"image":{"height":0.297,"width":0.417}}

Classification

Drawing

Department

Drawings

Museum

Cleveland Museum of Art

Credit

Dudley P. Allen Fund

Accession Number

1947.12

Tags

male

About this artwork

Observed by Punchinello and friends, a centaur is subdued by a maiden’s musical charms. Rendered touchingly vulnerable, the creature lies with its head on the girl’s lap. One of the simplest instruments, the tambourine was typically played by itinerant musicians—nymphs, vagabonds, seducers—and was traditionally considered the quintessential attribute of the outsider, an aspect reinforced in the 20th century by Bob Dylan’s "Mr. Tambourine Man."

    Send Feedback

    We use this only to reply to your feedback.