Right Hand

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's "Right Hand" is a red chalk drawing heightened with white chalk on blue laid paper, a focused study of a single hand. The study of hands was a fundamental exercise in artistic training, and even the greatest masters continued to make such studies throughout their careers. Tiepolo's study of a right hand shows his mastery of anatomy and his sensitivity to the expressive potential of the human hand. The hand is rendered with careful attention to its structure: the bones, tendons, and muscles are suggested through the precise modeling of the red chalk. The white chalk highlights add a sense of volume and life. The blue laid paper provides a cool ground that sets off the warm red of the chalk. This study may have been made in preparation for a figure in one of Tiepolo's frescoes or paintings, where a precisely rendered hand would contribute to the expression and gesture of the figure. Tiepolo understood that the hand could be as expressive as the face, and his studies of hands are among the most beautiful works on paper of the 18th century.

Tiepolo's studies of hands demonstrate the anatomical foundation of his art, showing that the master of decorative grace was also a careful student of the structure of the human body.

This focused study of a right hand reveals Tiepolo's deep understanding of anatomy and his ability to render the most subtle gestures with precision and sensitivity, the hand becoming a vehicle for expression as eloquent as any face.