Seated Youth Leaning against an Urn

1740/1743

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Artist, Venetian, 1696 - 1770

This is a drawing of a detailed group scene featuring figures interacting with architectural elements. The composition shows various characters engaged in subtle activities around a large, ornately carved vessel or urn. The urn is adorned with a relief depicting small figures and faces. The scene is intricately rendered with fine lines and cross-hatching, creating depth and texture. The background features stone columns and a crumbling wall. The figures are depicted in various poses, adding movement and interaction. Fine detail work emphasizes textures of clothing, stone, and architecture, showcasing a high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper (proof before signature on urn)

  • Credit Line

    Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed within plate mark): 13.9 x 17.9 cm (5 1/2 x 7 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1996.79.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Rizzi 1971, no. 29, State proof before signature on urn

  • Series Title

    Vari Capricci

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale, London, Christie's, 27 June 1996); purchased (via Artemis) by NGA, 1996.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1997

  • Building a Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1997-1998, no. 12.

Bibliography

1906

  • Vesme, Alexandre de (Baudi di Vesme, Alessandro). Le peintre-graveur italien; ouvrage faisant suite au peintre-graveur de Bartsch. Milan: Ulrico Hoepli, 1906.

1971

  • Rizzi, Aldo. The Etchings of the Tiepolos. Complete edition. London: Phaidon, 1971.

Inscriptions

by later hands, lower right verso in graphite: Tiepolo / Em[?] / 4419/M / 5

Wikidata ID

Q75398167

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