Head of an Old Man
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
GIOVANNI DOMENICO TIEPOLO, c.1765. OIL ON CANVAS.
In 18th century Venice, the Rococo style reigned supreme. Characterised by lively figures and bright colors, the images of this movement are rich in adornment and decoration that seems indulgently joyful at every step. They adorned the walls and ceilings of churches, palazzos, and government buildings across the city, and there was no artist more associated with and celebrated for this style than Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. One of the last old masters of Italy, his work helped define the end of the Renaissance in his native city and far across Europe. His shadow was long across the art world at this time, and particularly so for his son Giovanni Domenico who followed in his footsteps, having trained first as his apprentice. The young Tiepolo worked in his father’s studio, and executed this painting after a series that that the elder Tiepolo had completed years earlier. Giovanni Domenico first turned his father’s series into etchings that were sold and disseminated across the country for financial gain, and then painted works based on the etchings of the originals, making this work a copy of a copy.