喬瓦尼‧多梅尼科‧帖波洛

In a private family collection, since before 1900, whence acquired by the current owner.

The canvas is unlined, possibly still on its original stretcher, with its original tacks. The painting appears to be in near perfect original condition. There are two small restored damages, both circular, each approx. 1 cm. wide, on the lower left margin and in the dark blue of the man's cloak on the lower right margin. The varnish is a little discoloured and the paint surface is granular, which may be an indication of the presence of lead soap inclusions. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals only the aforementioned small retouchings. In overall excellent condition, with beautiful passages of impasto and even a few of the bristles from the artist’s brush still visible within the paint.
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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."

Unlined and in stunning condition, this Head of a Bearded Man in Oriental Dress is one of a group of fantasy portraits of philosophers and exotic figures created by Giandomenico and his father Giambattista Tiepolo with no other apparent purpose than the delectation of the viewer.  The paintings are of similar bust format and are of about the same size.  All are beautifully realized compositions of bearded men, in fantastical costume, as in the present example.  In this canvas, the fiercely confident sitter is shown in a lavish hooded cape of blue silk and gold silk brocade, closed with a beautifully rendered clasp decorated with a grotesque mask. 

The genesis of this genre by the Tiepolo is somewhat unclear, but it has been suggested that at least some of the heads were painted by Giambattista as part of a specific commission, circa 1757, before both father and son left Venice to work in Würzburg.¹  Giandomenico was to use his father’s compositions as the basis for a series of engravings, the Raccolta di Teste, published in 1774 after his father’s death, as well as for his own paintings.  Both father and son were working on the compositions over a period of years. Indeed, the project of the engravings was already begun but not complete in 1758, when Giandomenico wrote to the famous French connoisseur Pierre-Jean Mariette who wished to acquire a set.²   

While some of Giandomenico’s painted heads of bearded men are derived from the compositions which are represented in the Raccolta, the present would appear to be his own invention, probably dating to sometime between 1762-1770, while he was still in Spain and actively working on the prints.  Stylistically, a good comparison is the Head of a Philosopher in the Art Institute, Chicago (inv. 1945.175), which has been dated 1758/64.  Another version of the Chicago picture has been recently exhibited at the Fundaciόn Juan March, Madrid, where it was dated to circa 1768, during Giandomenico’s soujourn in Madrid.³

1. G. Knox, Domenico Tiepolo: Raccolta di teste, Udine, 1970.

2. “Quando sarà terminata la racolta delle teste, che procurarò che siano il n.o di 40, con il ritrato del Sig.r Padre, perché così Lei hà progettato piacer d’averlo, e vi saranno una meza decina di donne, allora li fisarò un prezzo onesto e conveniente...[When the series of heads will be finished, that I suppose will be about 40 in number with the portrait of my esteemed Father, because you have expressed interest in having it, there will be about a half dozen of women, and so I will put a fair and reasonable price on them]” in a letter from Giandomenico Tiepolo to Mariette, dated 21 June 1758, see I Tiepolo: Virtuosismo e Ironia, 1988, p. 31.  In the end, there were no female portraits included in the Raccolta, although numerous painted ones by both father and son have survived.

3. Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727-1804) Diez Retratos de Fantasía, 2012, exhibition catalogue, pp.24-25, cat. no 2, illus.