Two Women, One Holding an Anchor, and a Putto on Clouds
1696–1770
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush with pale (yellow) and dark brown wash, over black chalk
Dimensions
7-1/2 x 8-11/16 in. (19 x 22 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1937
Accession Number
37.165.34
Tags
About this artwork
This drawing presents an allegorical composition featuring two female figures and a cherubic putto arranged on clouds, executed with the fluid draftsmanship characteristic of Venetian Rococo art. One woman holds an anchor, a traditional symbol of hope or steadfastness, suggesting the drawing's allegorical function as a study for a larger decorative program. The figures are rendered with Tiepolo's characteristic lightness and grace, their poses and drapery suggesting movement and airborne suspens...
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s “Two Women, One Holding an Anchor, and a Putto on Clouds” captures the airy elegance of Venetian Rococo art. Created in the eighteenth century, the drawing shows two graceful female figures and a cherubic putto suspended on clouds. One woman holds an anchor, a traditional emblem of hope or steadfastness, suggesting the work served as a study for a larger allegorical fresco or decorative scheme. Tiepolo (1696–1770), Venice’s foremost painter of the period, produced countless such drawings to explore compositions for ceiling paintings and palace decorations across Eu...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo · 1696–1770
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) stands as the greatest decorative painter of eighteenth-century Europe, a Venetian master whose luminous frescoes and dynamic compositions defined the Rococo era's aesthetic zenith. Born in Venice on March 5, 1696, to a modest shipping merchant family, Tiepolo's extraordinary talent transcended his humble origins to establish him as the most sought-after artis...