Wealth and Benefits of the Spanish Monarchy under Charles III
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 181.8 x 104.3 cm (71 9/16 x 41 1/16 in.) framed: 192.4 x 115.3 cm (75 3/4 x 45 3/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-B
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1943.4.39
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, leading Venetian Rococo master renowned for his exuberant frescoes and grandiose allegories, created *Wealth and Benefits of the Spanisharchy under Charles III* 1762. This oil on canvas painting, measuring nearly six feet tall, was commissioned during the enlightened reign of King Charles III, who modernized Spain through reforms in agriculture, trade, and infrastructure. Tiepolo, then working at the Spanish court, used the artwork to symbolize the prosperity and benevolence of the Bourbon monarch, blending mythology and royal iconography in a celebratory tribute. T...
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...