Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

With Galerie Trotti, Paris;
Sir William van Horne, Montreal (1843-1915);
Thence by descent in the family;
By whom sold ("Paintings formerly in the Collection of the late Sir William Van Horne"), London, Sotheby's, 6 December 1972, lot 10 (as Giovanni Battista Tiepolo);
Where acquired.

A.L. Mayer, "Die Sammlung Sir William Van Horne in Montreal," in Der Cicerone, 1916, p. 5;
A. Mariuz, Giandomenico Tiepolo, Venice 1971, p. 127, reproduced, fig. 223;
C. Wright, A Catalogue of the Old Master Paintings in the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. J.V. Feather at Bridley Manor, Surrey, Surrey 1974, pp. 5, 11-12, cat. no. 1, reproduced fig. 1;
A. Ubeda de los Cobos, in Giandomenio Tiepolo 1727-1804, Ten Fantasy Portraits, exhibition catalogue, Madrid 2012, pp. 55, 62, note 39.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work is noticeably dirty, but it is in beautiful condition nonetheless. It has been more recently varnished, and the patina is very attractive. The lining is old. The cracking is slightly raised in a few areas, but the paint layer is stable. There are a few small retouches to the right of the forehead. There are three or four tiny spots of retouching in the chin. It is doubtful that there are any other retouches.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This depiction of a young woman dressed as a page is one of a group of fantasy portraits by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo which have been dated to his years in Spain between 1762-1770.  Generally of uniform size (60 by 50 cm.), these bust-length portraits were probably conceived of in sets, portraying young women dressed in exotic costumes, adorned with garlands of flowers, playing musical instruments, or with other props.  Adriano Mariuz lists a number of other examples by Giovanni Domenico, including one in the Cleveland Museum of Art, two formerly in the Aznar collection, Madrid, and another two formerly in the Harris collection, London.¹  One set that is still intact includes a combination of male and female fantasy portraits: eight of young women and two bearded men in oriental dress.²  These figures are not true portraits representing real individuals, but rather generic types manifesting certain characteristics and conjuring up, with the young women, an ideal of feminine beauty and, with the bearded men, an archetype of the venerable elder or philosopher from antiquity. 1.  See A. Mariuz, under Literature, figs. 225, 226, 227, 229 and 230.
2.  See A. Ubeda de los Cobos, under Literature, cat. nos. 1-10, reproduced.
3.  Ibid., p. 5.