Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Bears unidentified collector's mark, verso (CL within circle);
with Herman Shickman, New York, from whom bought by the present owner in 1974

Window mounted. Some repaired tears, lower right. Some foxing and surface dirt throughout. Thin spots in all four corners. Wash generally still good and strong. Sold in an antique (c.1700?) Italian carved and gilded frame.
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.

The various studies around the edge of the page are a particularly charming and informal example of Giandomenico's style, where one can see his mind and hand moving rapidly through several ideas.  The figure at the center, an apostle holding a book, is drawn primarily in wash and resembles various studies of oriental figures which were formerly attributed to Giambattista but are now generally accepted as Giandomenico and dated to the 1750s.¹

The subject of the drawing on the verso is known in two other versions, one sold London, Sotheby's, 21 June 1978, lot 23 and another, London, Christie's, 4 July 1989, lot 109.  They have been variously identified as Hercules and Antaeus or Hercules and Cacus, although neither identification seems completely convincing, as Antaeus is usually held off the ground in Giandomenico's series of drawings of the subject, and Cacus had several heads and was squeezed and strangled by Hercules.  James Byam Shaw considered Giandomenic's drawing of pagan deities, which are often single figures, to be related to sculptures for the gardens of villas on the Venetian mainland.  A surprising confirmation of this proposition can be found in a drawing by Giandomenico of Ladies and Gentlemen in the Garden of a Villa, in which this pair of figures appears as a fountain.²  These drawings are generally considered late works.


1.  J. Byam Shaw and G. Knox, Italian 18th Century Drawings in the Robert Lehman Collection, New York 1987, p. 196, no. 161

2.  A.M. Gealt and G. Knox, Giandomenico Tiepolo, Scene di vita quotidiana a Venezia e nella terraferma, exhib. cat., Comune di Mirano, 2005, p. 142, no. 45; reproduced p. 141