Illustration for a Book: Booty Presented to Three Dignitaries

Illustration for a Book: Booty Presented to Three Dignitaries by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) is a preparatory study executed in graphite or black chalk. Characteristic of the drawing practices of the preeminent Venetian Rococo master, the sheet displays faint horizontal and vertical centering lines, ruled in the same medium, which were critical aids for transferring the complex design to a final medium, such as an etching or large-scale fresco.

The composition captures a dramatic narrative moment: the formal presentation of goods—the 'booty'—to three seated male dignitaries positioned prominently on the right. The scene is densely populated, illustrating the physical labor involved, with numerous working men handling heavy burdens while women observe or assist in the transfer. Tiepolo’s rapid, assured technique effectively establishes the movement and hierarchical relationships between the figures, providing clear insight into his approach to illustrating classical or literary texts that required grand, public compositions.

This important example of eighteenth-century Italian draftsmanship is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The finished quality of the figures, even in this quick sketch, underscores Tiepolo's prolific ability to visualize dynamic scenes. The work's existence as a preparatory sheet provides scholars with valuable documentation of the artist's working methods. Today, high-resolution prints of this significant drawing are frequently made available within the public domain, serving as primary references for students and historians studying the Rococo period.