Giandomenico Tiepolo

With Matthiesen, London, before 1938;
Private Collection, Vienna;
Private Collection, New York;
Anonymous sale, New York, Parke-Bernet, April 18, 1962, lot 49.

L. Froelich-Bume, The Burlington Magazine, February 1938, p. 87, plate IIA (as by Giambattista);
A. Morassi, A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings of G.B. Tiepolo, Including Pictures by his Pupils and Followers Wrongly Attributed to Him, London 1962, p. 66 (as by Giandomenico);
G. Knox, Domenico Tiepolo Raccolta di Testa, Udine 1970, no. II24 as by Giambattista;
A. Mariuz, Giandomenico Tiepolo, Venice 1971, p. 150, illustrated no. 216 (as by Domenico); 
A. Rizzi, The Etchings of the Tiepolos, English edition, London 1971, p. 398, under cat. no. 215; 
G. Knox, '"Philosopher Portraits," by Giambattista, Domenico and Lorenzo Tiepolo,' in The Burlington Magazine, March 1975, p. 151 and note 5;
G. Knox, Giambattista and Domenico Tiepolo: A Study and Catalogue Raisonné of the Chalk Drawings, Oxford 1980, p. 325, cat. no. P331(as by Domenico).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has not been restored for quite some time and will respond well to cleaning. The canvas has been lined using glue as an adhesive. It seems likely that this painting is actually mounted onto a solid support which is subsequently backed with linen. The reason for this may well be a rather elaborate tear which seems to have occurred running diagonally through the left side of the hat, through the shadowed side of the face and into the beard where it veers off again to the lower left corner. A further extension of this break seems to run from the mouth into the lower right corner. There may even be a further limb of this break through the shadowed side of the nose. Nonetheless, as unfortunate as this break may be, the remainder of the paint layer seems to be very fresh. The lining, although fairly heavy, seems to be appropriate. Cleaning the paint layer and proper restoration of this elaborate damage will provide effective results.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This work is one of a series of philosopher heads by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo.  The group is based in part on an earlier "philosopher" series by his father, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and also relates to two sets of etchings made by Giandomenico, after his father's paintings, the Raccolta di Teste.  The relationship among the paintings and etchings is rather complicated.  It is generally thought that circa 1757 Giambattista produced his series in response to a specific commission, and that they "remained long enough in the studio to be etched by Domenico," who in turn used the etchings as models to paint his own variation on his father's conceptions.¹

This Head of an Old Man is unusual for Giandomenico's philosopher series in that there is no known painted prototype by Giambattista.  The painting does, however, correspond closely to etching no. 24 from his second set of Raccolta di Teste (see fig. 1) as well as to a drawing by Giandomenico, formerly in a private collection.  The present painting also closely follows the format and style of Giandomenico's other interpretations of his father's paintings.  Like them, this Head of an Old Man measures approximately 24 by 20 inches, it is rendered in an impressionistic manner, and it shows the philosopher's head on a large scale pushed right up to the forefront of the picture plane.  Furthermore, this treatment of the head of an old bearded man in a conical hat does appear to have its origins in Giambattista's oeuvre, for example, in his Study for the Gathering of Manna, formerly in the collection of Dr. Tito Miotti, Undine.   

Professor Knox speculates that Giovanni Domenico's group of philosopher portraits may have been a specific commission, and has suggested the possible involvement of Count Francesco Algarotti.  Algarotti, an art collector and writer, was a friend and patron of Giambattista Tiepolo.  He served as art advisor for Frederick-Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and later, for Frederick the Great.  Knox points out that such a commission would have fit Algarotti's "antiquarian and literary turn of mind" and would have made "an appropriate offering to one of his princely friends in Germany, even to Frederick the Great himself."²

1. G. Knox, '"Philosopher Portraits," by Giambattista, Domenico and Lorenzo Tiepolo,' in The Burlington Magazine, March 1975, p. 148.
2. Op. cit. p. 148 -151.