Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Count G. Rasini
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, January 12, 1990, lot 59
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Antonio Morassi, Disegni Antichi, Milan 1937, reproduced pl. LXVII (as 'Scuola del Piazzetta')
Ugo Ruggeri,' Solimena e Venezia: Qualche appunto,' in Angelo e Francesco Solimena, due culture a confronto, Atti del convegno sui Solimena, Naples, 1994, p. 238 (as perhaps by Marco Pitteri), p. 242, note 41, reproduced p. 248

Window mounted. Lightly foxed throughout. Otherwise good, fresh condition. Sold in a 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.

This grand, large-scale sheet is a rare and splendid example of Giambattista Tiepolo's early style. It is a beautifully rendered configuration, with da sotto in sù foreshortening and dramatic use of light and shade to emphasize the asymmetrical quality of the composition.  Very little is known about Giambattista's initial development as a draughtsman and early drawings, like the present sheet, are rare.  Stylistically, his works from circa 1715 to 1720 are characterised by strong hatching, and a concentration on brilliant and dramatic light effects.  This technique, here employed so strikingly, illustrates the important influence that Tiepolo's master, Piazzetta, had on his early work and the penmanship also demonstrates a knowledge of the drawings of Pietro Testa (1612-1650).

Other similar drawings, in a comparable, engraver-like style, are known from this important, formative period of the artist's career (see Canterbury, The Royal Museum, Guardi, Tiepolo and Canaletto, 1985, no. 16; Cambridge, Fogg Art Museum, Tiepolo, A Bicentenary Exhibition, 1970, no. 1; M. Levey, Tiepolo, New Haven and London 1986, p. 9, fig ii).