Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Library of the Somasco Convent at Santa Maria della Salute, Venice;
Count Leopoldo Cicognara;
Antonio Canova;
by inheritance to his half-brother, Monsignor Giovanni Battista Sartori-Canova;
Francesco Pesaro;
by whom sold to Col. Edward Cheney, Badger Hall, Shropshire;
by inheritance to his brother-in-law, Col. Alfred Capel-Cure, Blake Hall,
sale, London, Sotheby's, 29 April 1885 (part of lot 1024), to E. Parsons and Sons, London;
with Saville Gallery, London, Drawings by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, exhib. cat., 1928, no. 15, not reproduced;
Duc de Talleyrand, Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt;
The British Rail Pension Fund;
from which acquired by the present owner

Venice, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Disegni veneti di collezioni inglesi, 1980, p. 61, no. 83, reproduced

A. Morassi, Dessins Vénitiens du Dix-huitième Siècle de la Collection du Duc de Talleyrand, Milan 1958, p. 15, no. 6, reproduced, fig. 6

Glued at the four corners on the trimmed original album page. Condition is good, paper, pen and ink and wash, fresh. A light small stain to the right on the mantle of the Madonna. A few spots of foxing hardly noticeable. Sold mounted and framed in a modern wooden 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.

Like lots 54, 55 and 58, this drawing belongs to Tiepolo's remarkable series of variations on the theme of the Holy Family.  (See note to lot 54 for a full account of the series.)  Unlike these other three versions of the subject, however, where Tiepolo has used a golden ink, this drawing is executed in black ink and abundant gray wash, with only a few strokes of brown ink to indicate the left side of the pedestal.  

Compositionally, in this version of the subject, the young St. John the Baptist is speaking to the Christ Child, who sits on the Virgin's lap.  St. Joseph is absent, and another young child is shown to the left, slightly away from the main group, perhaps indicating an alternative position for the young Baptist rather than the presence of a third child.  To the right, Tiepolo has included a ship, and the composition is further enriched by the introduction of a classical column in the upper right part of the sheet (see also lot 54).  The artist here applies his gray washes with the subtlest of slight variations and nuances, and makes full and skilful use of the potential of the white surface of the paper - his natural source of light, which he knew so well how to exploit to the full with incredible mastery.