Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Probably purchased in Venice in 1833 by Monsieur Fayet;

M.L. Joly sale, Hôtel Drouot, 26 January 1911, lot 174;

Jacques Guérin, Paris,

his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 20-21 December 1922, lot 63;

sale, Tours, Hôtel des Ventes, 7 May 1979, lot 11;

with Galerie Paul Prouté, Paris, Dessins, estampes, 1980, no. 58;

sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 2 December 1987, lot 22,

where acquired by Henri Gross and Stefanie Gross (née Lindenbaum), Paris,

thence by descent

C. Conrad, 'Die grossformatigen religiösen Zeichnungen Giovanni Domenico Tiepolos,' unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Heidelberg University, 1996, no. 66;

A.M. Gealt and G. Knox, Domenico Tiepolo: A New Testament, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 2006, p. 224, no. 76, reproduced in color p. 225

Adelheid Gealt and George Knox's authoritative publication on the remarkable series of similarly conceived drawings to which this sheet belongs, the so-called Large Biblical Series, has illuminated a fascinating exploration of the Christian story, from the parentage of the Virgin Mary to the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, which is of considerable intellectual and theological complexity, as well as incredible artistic skill. As they have pointed out, it is extraordinary how Giandomenico does not simply illustrate a text, but each time uses all the visual resources of Venetian art in his repertoire to create a uniquely original and inventive series of images.¹

^Nothing is known of the original purpose or extent of the series, but some 313 drawings are currently known, scattered in public and private collections throughout the world. Given that some very familiar biblical scenes are missing, it seems likely that the series was originally even more extensive. It is generally assumed that it was created not as a result of any commission, but as a work of personal piety, begun after 1785 when the artist retired to the Tiepolo family villa at Zianigo. The strong emphasis throughout the series on the figure of Saint Peter has, however, led Gealt and Knox to suggest that if any patron were in some way influential in the creation of the series, it may have been Pope Pius VI (1717-1799), to whom Giandomenico dedicated a suite of prints.² 

The drawings began to emerge onto the market via various French collectors in the nineteenth century. As Gealt and Knox suggest, it seems plausible that although the series seems never to have been bound into volumes, the drawings remained together as loose sheets until they were bought in Venice in 1833 by a Monsieur Fayet. An album of 138 drawings from the series, originating from the Fayet collection, is now in the Louvre.³

^1.Gealt and Knox, op. cit., pp. 3-4

^2.Ibid., p. 66 and note 71

^3.Ibid., pp. 6-7