The Meeting of Anthony and Cleopatra

The Meeting of Anthony and Cleopatra by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo is a pivotal 18th-century drawing that exemplifies the dynamism and dramatic flair of Italian Rococo preparation studies. Executed between 1696 and 1770, this highly developed composition uses pen and brown ink, combined with brush applied pale and dark brown wash, laid over an initial sketch of black chalk. This layering technique allowed Tiepolo to meticulously define figures and architecture while utilizing the washes to establish dramatic lighting and spatial recession, necessary for translating the scene into larger fresco or painting formats.

The work focuses on the legendary encounter between the Roman general Anthony and the Egyptian sovereign Cleopatra, often depicted as the height of both political theater and romantic tension. The composition handles the crowd of attendant Men typical of such an official arrival scene, but centers the drama on Cleopatra. Tiepolo uses energetic, swift lines to capture the movement and posture of the figures, concentrating the weight and mass of the scene through skillful application of the brown washes. The varying tonal depth achieved by the washes allows the artist to quickly differentiate textiles, shadows, and anatomical details.

As a significant example of the artist’s prolific drawing output, this work remains a cornerstone piece within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It provides invaluable insight into Tiepolo's working methods and his approach to synthesizing complex narratives into striking visual arrangements. Given its importance as a preparatory sketch, high-quality images and prints of this historical drawing are widely circulated for scholarly study, reflecting the piece’s permanent place in art historical reference and public domain resources.