Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Probably purchased in Venice in 1833 by Monsieur Fayet;
Victor Luzarche, Tours;
Roger Cormier, Tours,
his sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 30 April 1921, lot 62;
Private collection, until 1973;
Paris, private collection

New York, The Frick Collection, Domenico Tiepolo (1727-1804): A New Testament, 2006-2007, no catalogue

H. Guerlain, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo: au temps du Christ, Tours 1921, pp. 85-86, reproduced p. 87;
C. Conrad, 'Die grossformatigen religiösen Zeichnungen Giovanni Domenico Tiepolos,' (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Heidelberg University) 1996, no. 188;
A.M. Gealt and G. Knox, Domenico Tiepolo: A New Testament, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 2006, p. 41, pp. 51-52, p. 444, no. 182, reproduced in color p. 445

Hinged to mount at upper margin. Overall in good condition. A small water stain at the upper margin towards the left corner. A few small brown stains but otherwise medium strong and overall in good condition. Sold in carved and gilded frame.
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Gealt and Knox (loc. cit.) have suggested that the subject of this handsome night scene, skilfully and dramatically lit by just a single oil lamp, is Jesus warning Peter of his denial, before leading his disciples to the Mount of Olives.  The kneeling figure in the right foreground is Peter, while the table visible behind the standing Christ is the one just used for the Last Supper.  The scene follows the Gospel of St. Luke in locating this event in an upper room.  Giandomenico here makes masterly use of the space of his sheet, its empty upper part animated only by a hanging lamp, the position of which he altered to very successful effect, moving it further to the right and lowering it closer to the main group of Apostles.  The light cast by this lamp falls on the figure of Christ and on the apostles Simon and Peter, the main protagonists.  The paved floor balances the wooden coffered ceiling, and the attention to detail throughout is both subtle and creative.

Adelheid Gealt and George Knox's authoritative publication on the remarkable series of similarly conceived drawings to which this sheet belongs, the so-called Large Biblical Series, has illuminated a fascinating exploration of the Christian story, from the parentage of the Virgin Mary to the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, which is of considerable intellectual and theological complexity, as well as incredible artistic skill.  As they have pointed out, it is extraordinary how Giandomenico does not simply illustrate a text, but each time uses all the visual resources of Venetian art in his repertoire to create a uniquely original and inventive series of images.¹  

Nothing is known of the original purpose or extent of the series, but some 313 drawings are currently known, scattered in public and private collections throughout the world.  Given that some very familiar biblical scenes are missing, it seems likely that the series was originally even more extensive.  It is generally assumed that it was created not as a result of any commission, but as a work of personal piety, begun after 1785 when the artist retired to the Tiepolo family villa at Zianigo.  The strong emphasis throughout the series on the figure of Saint Peter has, however, led Gealt and Knox to suggest that if any patron were in some way influential in the creation of the series, it may have been Pope Pius VI (1717-1799), to whom Giandomenico dedicated a suite of prints.² 

The drawings began to emerge onto the market via various French collectors in the nineteenth century.  As Gealt and Knox suggest, it seems plausible that although the series seems never to have been bound into volumes, the drawings remained together as loose sheets until they were bought in Venice in 1833 by a Monsieur Fayet, who made a selection for himself and passed the rest of the drawings to Monsieur Luzarche, a former owner of the present sheet.  An album of 138 drawings from the series, originating from the Fayet collection, is now in the Louvre.³

¹ A.M. Gealt and G. Knox, op. cit., pp. 3-4

² Idem, p. 66 and note 71

³ Idem, pp. 6-7