A scene of necromancy: a woman bearing a vessel, a turbaned man, and a soldier look toward a pedestal upon which a skull and limb bone are burning, a bearded male figure's face is visible behind the group, from "Turns of fantasy" (Scherzi di fantasia)

A scene of necromancy: a woman bearing a vessel, a turbaned man, and a soldier look toward a pedestal upon which a skull and limb bone are burning, a bearded male figure's face is visible behind the group, from "Turns of fantasy" (Scherzi di fantasia) is a compelling etching created by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo between 1743 and 1757. This print belongs to the artist's celebrated series of fifteen capricci known as the Scherzi di fantasia (Turns of fantasy). The collection represents a crucial development in Tiepolo’s career, allowing the master painter to explore the graphic medium of etching, utilizing its capacity for dramatic contrasts and tonal subtlety.

The composition centers on a group of figures engaged in a mysterious ritual. A woman, prominently positioned and bearing a lidded vessel, observes the focal point: a smoking pedestal upon which a skull and a limb bone are incinerating, evidence of the necromantic practice. She is flanked by a richly costumed, turbaned man and a vigilant soldier, identifiable by his helmet, who contributes to the unsettling atmosphere of the assembly. The grouping of Women and Men, especially the inclusion of Soldiers, suggests a secret or military context surrounding the occult ceremony.

Typical of the Scherzi series, this piece eschews traditional narrative in favor of presenting a fantastic and theatrical vignette. The dramatic lighting and the inclusion of macabre elements, particularly the Skulls and bones, reflect the mid-eighteenth-century fascination with antiquity, mysticism, and the visual language of the bizarre. The subtle inclusion of another bearded male figure’s face peering from the shadows behind the group further enhances the work’s atmosphere of watchful secrecy. This significant example of Venetian Rococo printmaking is preserved in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.