Beheading of Two Male Saints

The Beheading of Two Male Saints is an expressive drawing by the celebrated Venetian master, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770). Created using a detailed and multi-layered technique, this piece utilizes pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, and dramatic highlights of white gouache applied over an initial sketch in black chalk. The composition also retains faint traces of red chalk visible at the upper and lower right, suggesting a dynamic working process where Tiepolo explored various tonal and compositional effects.

The scene depicts a dramatic moment of Christian martyrdom. The composition focuses on two male Saints centrally positioned, awaiting or undergoing execution, while onlookers and soldiers fill the surrounding space. Tiepolo employs the brown wash liberally to establish deep shadows and volumetric form, emphasizing the high drama inherent in the subject. The suggestion of large, classical Buildings in the background grounds the historical event, typical of eighteenth-century Italian religious narratives. This drawing serves as a powerful example of Tiepolo's facility in using concentrated light and vigorous shadow to convey intense emotion, a hallmark of his artistic production.

Classification as a drawing emphasizes its likely role in the artist's preparatory process or as a finished study designed for presentation. This significant work is held within the renowned collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because master drawings and related prints from this period are highly valued for scholarly examination, resources related to Tiepolo’s extensive oeuvre, including digital copies of this drawing, are often made available through museum and public domain initiatives, allowing broader access to his distinctive approach to religious subjects.