Angelica and Medoro

Angelica and Medoro by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, created between 1740 and 1745, is a masterful example of 18th-century Italian drawing. This preparatory or finished sketch was executed using pen and brown ink with brown wash applied over preliminary black chalk marks on laid paper. Tiepolo uses the wash dramatically to model form, employing a swift, assured hand to define the figures and the surrounding landscape. The composition depicts the intimate moment from Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem, Orlando Furioso, where the lovers, Princess Angelica and the Saracen soldier Medoro, carve their names into a tree trunk. This act symbolizes their forbidden romance, a popular subject reflecting the era’s fascination with classical literature and romantic narrative.

This work demonstrates the fluid elegance characteristic of Tiepolo’s draftsmanship during the height of the Venetian Rococo movement. Executed during the period spanning from 1726 to 1750, the drawing showcases the artist's ability to imbue complex literary subjects with palpable emotion and lively movement, despite the constraints of the monochrome medium. Tiepolo was renowned internationally for his vast ceiling frescoes, and drawings such as this often served as vital studies for subsequent paintings or as refined modelli intended for private patrons who sought examples of his virtuosity.

The piece is a superb illustration of the drawing tradition within 18th-century Italian art, highlighting Tiepolo's technical mastery in creating texture and depth using limited materials. This important drawing is currently housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Due to the historical and cultural significance of works by masters like Tiepolo, high-quality prints derived from this artistic output are frequently sought after. Many important pieces of this era eventually transition into the public domain, ensuring global accessibility to the artistry of this seminal figure.