Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Venice 1696 - 1770 Madrid

The painting is warmer, redder and less muddy in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The canvas has been laid down on board and much of the paint surface has been pressed as a result. Although the painting appears to have bee cleaned relatively recently, some dirt is still visibly engrained in the canvas weave and the varnish is slightly yellowed in places. The paint layer appears worn in some of the mid- and darker tones, in particular on the secondary figures in semi-darkness centre left. The main figures were more solidly painted and have not suffered from wear; Ariadne in particular is nicely preserved. Inspection under ultra-violet light is impeded by the varnish and only a few retouchings are visible; for example, on the satyr's head and on the ground beside him lower right. Quite a bit of restoration is visible to the naked eye in the upper parts of the sky (and more should be presumed); a 1cm. strip along the left edge; the wheel and volute of the chariot centre left; and the right shoulder of the satyr nearby, as well as the urn he holds. The two heads at the base of the wheat sheaf appear rubbed and somewhat reworked. The figures of Bacchus and Ariadne appear to have survived for the most part intact; only Bacchus' animal skin along his back has worn thin. The adult angel above has survived well except for a damage on and around his right knee (approx. 3 by 3cm.). Except for areas of wear in the sky, in some of the darker areas, and around the edges, the paint surface has survived rather well considering the canvas was transferred to board. The modern painted wood frame has some minor knocks but is generally in good condition and structurally sound, but not very suitable.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This hitherto unpublished painting is a very early work by Giambattista Tiepolo. The painting can be dated on the basis of style to circa 1720, when the artist was in his early twenties, and may be compared with other small-scale canvases painted around this time; notably his Suicide of Aiace Telamonio.¹ The two paintings share the same colour palette and the almost supernatural ambient light, inspired by the works of Giambattista Piazzetta and Federico Bencovich (whose style has been described as ‘neotenebroso’). The actively-posed figures in this and other paintings from this period also recall Sebastiano Ricci, whose return to Venice from England in 1718 almost certainly had a profound influence on the young Tiepolo. It is probably from around this time that the present work dates; just prior to the four mythological paintings in the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, showing scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (The Rape of Europa, Diana and Actaeon, Diana and Callisto, and Apollo and Marsyas), which were executed in 1720-21.² Although larger in scale, they share the ‘fantasy’ landscape setting of Bacchus and Ariadne and the composition of the latter, with its sweeping vista on the right and group of figures with putti to the left, echoes that in Tiepolo’s Rape of Europa from the aforementioned Accademia set.³

1  Sold, New York, Christie’s, 12 January 1996, lot 139. See M. Gemin & F. Pedrocco, Giambattista Tiepolo, Venice 1993, p. 239, cat. no. 57, reproduced.
2  Gemin & Pedrocco, op. cit., p. 228, cat. nos. 29-32, all reproduced.
3  Ibid., cat. no. 29, reproduced in colour on p. 25, plate 6.