The Presentation in the Temple

1785/1795

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Associated Names
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Artist, Venetian, 1727 - 1804

This is a drawing depicting a scene with numerous figures gathered on steps. The image is in sepia tones using ink and wash techniques to show depth and shadow. The composition includes figures in different positions, with one central figure possibly holding a staff. There are architectural elements like arches and columns in the background, suggesting a grand interior space. Additionally, a dog is present on the steps. The drawing conveys a narrative through the figures' gestures and poses, enhanced by shading and linework emphasizing contrast between light and shadow.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink with brown and gray wash over charcoal and black chalk, and over some stylus lines with ruler and compass for architecture

  • Credit Line

    Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 49.1 x 38.5 cm (19 5/16 x 15 3/16 in.)
    image: 47 x 36.3 cm (18 1/2 x 14 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2007.111.171

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 26 June 1913, no. 110); Henri Goudechaux, Paris; (Thomas le Claire, Hamburg); Wolfgang Ratjen [1943-1997], Vaduz and Munich; purchased 2007 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1995

  • Fünfzig italienische Zeichnungen des 16. - 18. Jahrhunderts aus der Stiftung Ratjen, Vaduz. Liechtensteinischen Staatlichen Kunstsammlung, Vaduz. Bern, 1995, no. 42.

1996

  • Italian Drawings from the Ratjen Foundation, Vaduz. The Frick Collection, New York. Bern, 1996, no. 42.

2006

  • Domenico Tiepolo, A New Testament, The Frick Collection, New York. Bloomington, IN, 2006, 152, 735, no. 41, and 797, under no. 232 (Adelheid Gealt and George Knox).

2011

  • Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1525-1835, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2011, no. 63.

2014

  • The Poetry of Light - La poesia della luce: Venetian Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, Museo Correr, Venice, Venice, 2014 - 2015, no. 115.

Bibliography

1987

  • Thomas Le Claire Kunsthandel, IV, Handzeichnungen und Aquarelle, 1500-1900. Hamburg, 1987: 82-83, no. 40.

1995

  • Lachenmann, David. Fünfzig italienische Zeichnungen des 16. - 18. Jahrhunderts aus der Stiftung Ratjen, Vaduz. Vaduz, 1995: no. 42.

1996

  • Lachenmann, David. Italian Drawings from the Ratjen Foundation, Vaduz. Exh. cat. The Frick Collection, New York. Bern, 1996: no. 42.

2006

  • Gealt, Adelheid M. and George Knox. _Domenico Tiepolo: A New Testament." Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press (2006): 152-153, 735, 797, under no. 232.

2011

  • Italian Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection 1525-1835. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2011: 144-145.

Inscriptions

lower right, brown ink, signed: Dom.o Tiepolo f

Watermarks

large crowned eagle with double-line "GFA" below (larger and better formed than any in Heawood, through cf. 1262 or 1263, late eighteenth-century Venice)

Wikidata ID

Q64572418

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