Head of a Bearded Man

Apart from extensive frescos, he produced numerous drawings and small-scale oil paintings. These are genre scenes, mythological or religious renderings such as portraits, which were very popular with the public and earned the painter a prosperous living. The Head of a Bearded Man, attributed to him, is considered characteristic of his work. In a sensitive rendering of figure, light and colour, Giovanni Domenico shows an elderly man marked by life. With his fur collar turned up, his ornamented cap and prominent nose, and turned slightly to the left, he gazes at the viewer from deep-set eyes. The sculptural quality of beard, fur collar and face are achieved by delicate colour gradation, while the fine detail of the face contrast the swift brush strokes of the fluffy yellowish collar and white, grey-tinged beard. Using only a few colour nuances, the artist has created a harmonious overall effect. The background, in shades of brown, emphasises the elegance of the portrait. Widely respected by his peers, Giovanni, like his father, was elected president of the Accademia di pittura e scultura of Venice for four years, from 1780 to 1783. His later works are characterised by simply-structured figures and softer colours. The genre scenes are a study of Venetian society and mores, alluding to the political and moral decline of the “ancien regime”.

HABERSATTER Thomas: Tiepolo Giovanni Domenico, Head of a Bearded Man, in: DUCKE Astrid, HABERSATTER Thomas, OEHRING Erika: Masterworks. Residenzgalerie Salzburg. Salzburg 2015, p. 28