Caricature of a Man Carrying a Stick, Standing in Profile to the Left

Caricature of a Man Carrying a Stick, Standing in Profile to the Left by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo is a masterful drawing created between 1755 and 1765. Executed meticulously with pen and black ink, supplemented by a subtle gray wash, this piece exemplifies Tiepolo's celebrated skill in capturing expressive figures with minimal, yet confident, lines. The subject, rendered in strict profile facing left, is defined by his exaggerated features characteristic of the art of caricature, a genre immensely popular in 18th-century Venice. The anonymous man grips a prominent stick, a common accessory that helps anchor the figure and emphasize his verticality.

Tiepolo was highly proficient in producing these quick, insightful sketches, which often served as independent works, collected by connoisseurs, rather than merely studies for larger paintings. The skillful application of the gray wash provides depth and volumetric shadow, contrasting sharply with the crisp contours drawn in black ink, lending the figure a lively, three-dimensional presence despite its simple composition. This focus on distinctive profiles allowed Tiepolo to explore human personality through physiognomic exaggeration. The work showcases the artist’s late drawing style, dating to a period when his reputation as one of the great Venetian draftsmen was firmly established across Europe. This important example of his graphic output is classified as a drawing and resides in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.