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

Hinged to mount at upper margin. Light scattered foxing throughout. Some faint red chalk stains at lower section of the sheet, possibly studio stains. Pen and ink and wash still fresh and vibrant. Sold framed.
"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."

This drawing is part of the famous and much admired series of about seventy-five variations by Giambattista Tiepolo on the theme of the Holy Family, drawings which rank among the highpoints of the artist's draughtsmanship.¹  The drawings were originally bound in a single album, one of several that that the painter deposited with his son Giuseppe Maria, a priest at the church of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, when he left for Spain in 1762.  The Holy Family album was also later owned by the sculptor Antonio Canova, and was taken apart after the sale of the collection of Edward Cheney, in 1885.

The drawings in the Holy Family series are dated by George Knox to circa 1754-62.  He has also postulated, more specifically, that they could have been executed around 1760, when Giambattista was incapacitated by gout and unable to work normally.  Bernard Aikema has suggested that the series could have been intended to serve as models for Giambattista's sons, Domenico and Lorenzo Tiepolo.²  Whether or not this was the case, Tiepolo surely executed these exquisite bravura sheets as independent works of art, and none can be related to a known painting by the artist.

^1. A. Morassi, Dessins Vénitiens du Dix-huitième Siècle de la Collection du Duc de Talleyrand, Milan 1958, pp. 9-10

^2. Tiepolo in Holland, Works by Giambattista and His Circle in Dutch Collections, exhib. cat., Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, 1996, p. 34