Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Sale, London, Christie's, 6 July 1977, lot 67

Hinge mounted. Some very minor surface dirt to the sheet otherwise in very good, fresh condition, with the medium strong throughout. Sold in a giltwood 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.

In its great stylistic freedom, this drawing, executed solely in pen and ink, can be closely compared with a group of at least fourteen sheets by Giandomenico depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ.¹  These are all drawn in the same technique, characterized by closely hatched lines used to define the areas of shade, and a total absence of the shading washes that Giandomenico more usually employed.  The present drawing does not seem to be connected to any painted works, but can be considered a relatively early work, executed circa 1760, the dating suggested by Byam Shaw for the related group of drawings of scenes from the Passion.²  When it was last sold, in 1977, Byam Shaw pointed out that elements of this composition are closely paralleled in Tiepolo's etching of The Stoning of Saint Stephen, inscribed Joannes Domenicus Tiepolo/invenit pinxit et deliniavit.³

^1. For the whereabouts of the group, see B. Aikema and M. Tuijn, Tiepolo in Holland, Works by Giambattista Tiepolo and His Circle in Dutch Collections, exhib. cat., Rotterdam, Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, 1996, p. 124, no. 54, and p. 127 notes 1-7

^2. J. Byam Shaw, The Drawings of Domenico Tiepolo, London 1962, p. 35

^3. A. Rizzi, L'opera grafica dei Tiepolo, Le acqueforti, Milan 1971, p. 268, reproduced p. 269