Provenance
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727–1804), Venice; Johann Dominik Bossi (known as Domenico Bossi; 1767–1853), Munich, from 1804; by descent to his daughter, Maria Theresa Caroline Bossi (1823–1881) and her husband, Christian Friedrich Beyerlen (1826–1881); sold, H. G. Gutekunst, Stuttgart, Mar. 27, 1882. Paul Albert Besnard (1849–1934); sold, Galerie Charpentier, Paris, May 31, 1934, lot 312. Given to Frédérique Weber; by descent to her grandson, Jean-Louis F. Doublet, Chevy Chase, MD; sold through François Borne to the Gray Collection Trust, Chicago, Sept. 29, 2014; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2019.
The Head of a Young Man in Profile to the Left (recto); Studies of Allegorical Figures (verso)
1749/50 (recto); 1750/53 (verso)
Accession Number
244913
Medium
Red chalk, with touches of white chalk (recto and verso), on blue laid paper with blind incising around recto
Dimensions
22.7 × 24.2 cm (8 15/16 × 9 9/16 in.)
Classification
drawings (visual works)
Credit Line
Gift of Richard and Mary L. Gray
Background & Context
Background Story
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's double-sided drawing features on the recto "The Head of a Young Man in Profile to the Left" and on the verso "Studies of Allegorical Figures," executed in red chalk with touches of white chalk on blue laid paper. The red chalk (sanguine) on blue paper creates a distinctive effect, the warm red contrasting with the cool blue ground. The recto shows a young man in profile, the features rendered with the delicacy and precision characteristic of Tiepolo's draftsmanship. The verso contains studies of allegorical figures, perhaps for one of Tiepolo's ceiling frescoes or decorative schemes. The double-sided nature of this sheet is particularly valuable, showing Tiepolo working on different types of subjects—a portrait study and allegorical compositions—on the same support. The blue laid paper with blind incising around the recto suggests that this was a carefully executed drawing, perhaps intended for transfer to another surface. Tiepolo's red chalk drawings are among the most beautiful works on paper of the 18th century.
Cultural Impact
Tiepolo's red chalk drawings on blue paper represent the height of Venetian draftsmanship, combining the warmth of sanguine with the coolness of the blue ground in a technique that was both traditional and distinctive.
Why It Matters
This double-sided drawing showcases Tiepolo's mastery of the red chalk medium, the profile study on the recto capturing youthful beauty with exquisite delicacy while the verso reveals the artist's working process for larger compositions.
