Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

With Herman Shickman, New York, from whom bought by the present owner

A.M. Gealt and G. Knox, Giandomenico Tiepolo. Scene di vita quotidiana a Venezia e nella terraferma, Venice 2009, p. 117, no. 25, reproduced p. 115

Laid down and window mounted. Stained and discoloured, possibly from water damage, lower left. Some foxing and surface dirt. Sold in a modern gilded wooden frame
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Gealt and Knox include this in a group of drawings which have as their subject horses and riders of various types, exotic or familiar.  The composition here is typical of many of Giandomenico's animal scenes, which are often taken from a lower angle, looking up at a dramatic rocky outcrop.  Here the upper youth has trouble with his frisky horse, while his companion heads off downhill towards a town.  Gealt and Knox believe the horses are inspired by the horses of the Sun on the ceiling at Würzburg, and they point out that the same figure of a boy leading a horse with a striped blanket appears, in reverse, in two of Giandomenico's biblical compositions.

1.  A.M. Gealt and G. Knox, Domenico Tiepolo, A New Testament, Bloomington 2006, p. 76, no. 4 and p. 92, no. 12