Seated Youth Leaning Against an Urn, from Capricci

Seated Youth Leaning Against an Urn, from Capricci is an etching on paper created by the renowned Italian master, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696–1770), likely between 1740 and 1750. This small-scale work is part of the artist’s highly influential Capricci series, a collection of approximately ten plates that marked his first major foray into independent printmaking. Unlike reproductive prints, the Capricci were conceived as original artistic inventions or "caprices," characterized by fantastical groupings of classical ruins, mythological figures, and unusual military types.

Tiepolo utilized the spontaneous nature of the etching medium to quickly render the scene, employing sharp, expressive lines. The composition focuses on a figure draped in classical robes, leaning thoughtfully against a massive funeral urn. The unfinished, sketch-like quality of the piece, combined with deep contrasts of light and shadow, imbues the work with a distinct melancholy often associated with the study of ancient relics and the passage of time.

As an important example of 18th-century Italian printmaking, this artwork demonstrates Tiepolo's skill in graphic media, cementing his reputation not only as a grand fresco painter but also as a highly sophisticated printmaker. The visual language developed in the Capricci directly informed his later, more atmospheric series, Scherzi di fantasia. The print is preserved in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering researchers and the public an opportunity to study a key example of the Venetian master’s graphic output. Due to its age and cultural significance, high-quality images of this foundational piece of early modern prints are frequently available through public domain collections.