The Family of the Oriental Peasant, from Scherzi is an important etching created by the Italian master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696–1770) between 1735 and 1740. This work belongs to a highly inventive group of prints known as the Scherzi di fantasia (Fantasies or Jokes), which allowed the artist to explore subjects far removed from his grand fresco commissions in Venice and mainland Europe. Utilizing the demanding medium of etching printed in black ink on paper, this piece showcases Tiepolo's lesser-known but highly influential skill as a printmaker.
The Scherzi series consists primarily of enigmatic scenes featuring mythological figures, often alongside magicians, peasants, and exotic characters derived from contemporary theatrical life. While the specific narrative for The Family of the Oriental Peasant remains ambiguous, typical of Tiepolo’s capricci, the scene captures a moment of intimate yet theatrical domesticity. The figures, presented as an "oriental" family, inhabit a classical ruin or desolate landscape. These imaginative prints from 18th-century Italy often explored themes of magic, decay, and the picturesque, circulating widely and inspiring later generations of artists across Europe.
As a technically masterful print, the etching relies on the artist's delicate, free handling of the needle to create texture and depth, contrasting sharply defined foreground elements with hazy backgrounds. Tiepolo developed his graphic technique by studying earlier Venetian printmakers, yet infused his own Rococo sensibility into the dramatic interplay of light and shadow. This specific impression is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, providing scholars a vital example of the Italian artist’s graphic output. Though highly prized, the significance of these master prints means that the work, along with much of Tiepolo's graphic legacy, remains widely accessible, often falling within the category of historic artworks available in the public domain.
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