Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Sir Gilbert Lewis,
thence by inheritance to,
Sir Henry Duff-Gordon,
his sale and others, London, Sotheby's, 19 February 1936, lot 69 (as Giovanni Battista Tiepolo;
Purchased in July 1937

London, Royal Academy, The Paul Oppé Collection, 1958, no. 364 (as Giovanni Battista Tiepolo);
Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada, Exhibition of Works from the Paul Oppé Collection, 1961, no. 144 (as Giovanni Battista Tiepolo)

Hinge mounted in two places along the right edge. The lower edge is laid down on to the remains of an old sheet. The four edges are somewhat uneven and there are a number of old creases and nicks to the sheet's extremities. There is an old diagonal crease to the upper right corner and a small light brown stain below this. The sheet is in generally very good condition and the medium remains fresh and vibrant throughout.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Originally acquired by Paul Oppé and subsequently exhibited at both the Royal Academy and National Gallery of Canada as the work of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, the present work is in fact a characteristic example of the draughtsmanship of Giambattista's son, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo.

Evidently inspired by Giambattista's series of etchings of Capricci and Scherzi di Fantasia, a fine comparable drawing, in which Giandomenico depicts A Crowd of Ancient Warriors, Orientals, and Two Boys, Gathering for a Sacrifice¹ can be found in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.  That drawing was previously dated by George Knox to circa 1743² and based on the handling of the ink, the similar subject matter and the drawing's shared provenance up to the Sotheby's sale in 1936, it seems logical to fit the present work into the group of some ten sheets³ discussed by James Byam Shaw in his entry for the aforementioned Metropolitan Museum drawing.

^1. J. Byam Shaw and G. Knox, The Robert Lehman Collection: Italian Eighteenth Century Drawings, vol. VI, Metropolitan Museum, New York 1987, pp. 194-195, under cat. no. 159, reproduced, p. 194, fig. 159

^2. Ibid., p. 194

^3. Ibid., pp. 194-195