Six People Watching a Snake, from Scherzi

Six People Watching a Snake, from Scherzi by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Italian, 1696–1770, is a masterful example of 18th-century Italian graphic arts. This piece, created between 1735 and 1740, is an etching on paper and belongs to Tiepolo’s celebrated series of capricci known as the Scherzi di Fantasia. This collection of 23 plates allowed the Venetian artist to explore non-narrative, often cryptic imagery, standing in stark contrast to the large-scale frescos and mythological scenes for which he gained international fame.

The etching technique allowed Tiepolo to achieve dramatic effects through sharp contrasts of light and shadow, underscoring the enigmatic nature of the subject. The composition focuses on a cluster of six figures intently gathered around a large serpent in a desolate setting marked by crumbling classical ruins. Tiepolo uses this highly focused scenario to illustrate a moment of strange, collective observation, characteristic of the imaginative and sometimes unsettling world of the Scherzi. Unlike traditional commissioned prints, these works are considered highly personal expressions of the artist’s aesthetic vocabulary.

As a significant example of Baroque printmaking, Six People Watching a Snake reflects a period when Italian master painters began exploring smaller, more intimate formats for distribution among private collectors. Tiepolo’s skilled manipulation of the etching needle provides a powerful study in atmosphere and concentrated human emotion. This impression is preserved within the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a key public domain example of the master’s work outside of fresco painting.