Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Alphonse Legros,
his sale, London, Sotheby's, 3 July 1918, lot 122;
Matsukata Collection, Japan;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 2 July 1984, lot 115

G. Knox, Un Quaderno di Vedute di Giambattista e Domenico Tiepolo, Milan 1974, no. 34

Left edge where wash is very dark has been made up - paper laid down on japan paper. Other areas of dark wash have some cracks but all stabilized. Slight foxing spots at bottom.
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.

Among the large quantity of Tiepolo drawings, so familiar to collectors, there are very few studies of landscapes or buildings which seem to have been drawn on the spot.  George Knox (loc. cit.) gathered and published a group of 74, by Giambattista and Domenico, which he believes were made in a brief period between spring 1757, when they were working at the Villa Valmarana, and summer 1759 when they were in Udine.  They are almost all in pen and ink and wash and are of urban buildings, farms and villas.  Many are made from rather unusual angles - in one case Knox suggests the view was taken from an upper window of the façade of a church in which they were working.  This makes for a very personal and engaging effect, and reveals father and son taking advantage of the countryside and catching the play of hot sun and long shadows on buildings.  Knox can point to some cases in which Domenico reused motifs in other works, but in general they seem to have been made for the pleasure of drawing.  As the Legros sale contained 32 lots of Tiepolo vedute, Knox has suggested that there was probably an album of vedute, like the other Tiepolo albums of figure drawings which were sold at Sotheby's in 1885 and dispersed among English collectors by the dealer Parsons.