Virtue and Nobility

Virtue and Nobility is an exquisite drawing by the celebrated Venetian master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770), created during the later period of his prolific career, spanning the height of the Rococo era. Classified as a drawing, the work is executed in pen and brown ink, combined with brush and brown wash, over an initial sketch in black chalk. This layered technique showcases Tiepolo’s remarkable facility with disegno, where the soft black chalk underdrawing provides fundamental structure while the application of the brown wash creates a highly dramatic interplay of light and shadow. This method was characteristic of Tiepolo’s preparatory work, designed to quickly establish the complex compositional and tonal values required for his subsequent large-scale commissions, such as ceiling frescoes or altarpieces.

The drawing’s subject is an allegorical pairing, likely conceived as a study for a larger decorative program. Tiepolo frequently employed such classical figures to adorn the palaces and villas of European aristocracy. The inherent dynamism and airy composition found in this piece exemplify the artist’s contribution to 18th-century Venetian art; Tiepolo’s masterful handling of the wash medium ensures the figures appear weightless, anticipating the grand illusionism of his final paintings. This exceptional example of European draftsmanship is part of the distinguished collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Due to the artwork’s significance and age, high-resolution prints of Virtue and Nobility are often available through public domain initiatives, furthering the study of Tiepolo’s foundational drawings and his influence on the succeeding generations of artists.