5293 - Tiepolo, Lorenzo Baldissera

Tiepolo, Lorenzo Baldissera The Glory of the Heroes (Magnificenza de' Principi). Etching after Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. 66.6 x 49.8 cm. De Vesme 7 III, Rizzi (1971) 228 III, Succi 9 III. Mark. Large crowned coat-of-arms cartouche with three stars and a crescent moon above it. Relatively little is known about the life of Lorenzo Tiepolo; he is often overshadowed by his significantly more prolific brother, Giandomenico. Lorenzo was trained in the workshop of his overbearing father, Giambattista, and followed him at the young age of 14 to Würzburg, where he presumably assisted him in executing the frescoes in the prince-bishop’s residence. In 1761, his name appears as a member of the Venetian painters’ guild. The following year, Lorenzo left his native city of Venice for good and, accompanied by his father and brother, traveled to the court in Madrid. Lorenzo’s etchings —his body of work comprises only 14 etchings, all based on his father’s designs—reveal him to be a surprisingly gifted and sensitive master of the etching medium, who was likely clearly superior to his older brother Giandomenico in terms of graphic finesse and expressiveness. This etching is undisputedly one of the major works within his modest body of work. The composition is mentioned in Giandomenico’s catalog of etchings based on his father’s designs and is listed under the title “Magnificenza de’ Principi. In Petroburgh.” The composition is based on a painting from Giambattista’s late period—now lost—that was created around 1760–62 for the Russian imperial court in Moscow. An excellent, high-contrast, and vivid print with a narrow margin around the plate edge. A slight horizontal, smoothed center fold; a few imperceptible touch-ups in the outer, mostly white margins and corners; another small touch-up in the upper right with a tiny filled-in missing area; on the reverse, the angel with a trumpet is outlined in pencil; further signs of age and wear; otherwise, however, the image itself is in exceptionally fine condition. From the collection of Vicenç Furió Galí (Lugt 6264). - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.