The Family of the oriental Peasant, from the Scherzi

"The Family of the oriental Peasant, from the Scherzi" is an evocative etching created by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo between 1725 and 1780. This piece belongs to the highly original Scherzi di fantasia (Fanciful Caprices), a renowned series of prints that showcases Tiepolo's mastery of the copper plate and his exploration of unconventional, often dream-like imagery. Unlike his monumental public frescoes, these intimate graphic works allowed Tiepolo to delve into private meditations and symbolic narratives, characterized by dramatic contrasts and mysterious figures.

The scene depicts a gathering of a family, bringing together Men, Women, and Children in a central composition typical of the Scherzi series. Tiepolo utilizes the etching technique skillfully, employing complex networks of lines and selective crosshatching to define form and create rich textural contrast, particularly in the rough garments of the peasants. The setting is deliberately ambiguous, focusing the viewer’s attention on the strange juxtaposition of the human figures with symbolic elements. Notably, the composition includes an Owl, a type of animal frequently associated with arcane knowledge or melancholy in 18th-century Venetian art.

Classified as a significant 18th-century Italian Print, this work is a crucial example of how Tiepolo transcended traditional genre boundaries through his graphic output. His innovative approach to the etching medium influenced later generations of European artists seeking expression through prints. This notable work, The Family of the oriental Peasant, is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is preserved as part of the museum's extensive holdings of Old Master prints and drawings.