Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Horace Walpole;

Earl Beauchamp;

Sale, London, Christie's, 15 June 1965, lot 135;

Sale, London, Christie's, 3 July 1990, lot 91;

With Katrin Bellinger Kunsthandel, London;

From whom acquired, 2010.

This dynamic and elegant composition, drawn in an energetic combination of black ink and gray wash, depicts the love affair of Angelica and Medoro, from Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem, Orlando Furioso. Set during the war between Charlemagne’s Christian Paladins and the Saracen army, the tale describes the romance of the Christian knight Orlando, who was courting the Pagan princess Angelica. Orlando's love is unrequited, as Angelica instead falls for the wounded Saracen Medoro. The scene depicted in the Younger drawing is derived from Canto 19:36 and shows the two lovers as they carve their names on trees and rocks throughout the forest. Although Giandomenico frequently made numerous variations of his depictions of favoured subjects, he only seldom illustrated episodes from Ariosto; the present drawing and a further nine from the Beauchamp album, sold at Christie's in 1965, are particularly rare examples.¹ Two further drawings of the same subject, previously owned by John S. Thacher, are today in the collection of the Morgan Library and Museum, New York.²

1. Sale, London, Christie's, 15 June 1965, lots 130-139

2. New York, The Morgan Library and Museum, inv. nos. 1985.28 and 1985.29