Artwork
Title Page
Title Page is an ink print by the Rococo painting artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The 1785 engraving titled *Title Page* is a black‑and‑white print attributed to Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Executed in the Rococo period, the sheet features ornamental borders, ribbon swags, and floral motifs framing a block of text rendered in an antiquated typeface. A banner at the bottom bears the date MDCCLXXXV, indicating its year of production.
Subject & Meaning
The composition functions as a frontispiece, likely intended to introduce a collection of Tiepzo’s drawings. The decorative elements—ribbons, swirls, and flowers—serve to elevate the textual information, while the inclusion of the artist’s name and a patron’s designation underscores the collaborative nature of the publication.
Technique & Style
Created through copperplate engraving, the work showcases Tiepzo’s command of line, hatching, and tonal variation within a graphic medium. The intricate borders and delicate ribbon folds reflect the ornamental sensibility of 18th‑century Venetian art, translating the painter’s fluid brushwork into precise incised strokes.
History & Provenance
Produced in Venice in 1785, the print was part of a series of reproductions that accompanied Tiepzo’s larger frescoes and easel paintings. It was likely issued to accompany a privately commissioned volume of his drawings, linking the artist’s graphic output to his broader decorative projects.
Context
During the late Rococo, Venetian artists frequently expanded their practice beyond mural commissions to include prints that could circulate their designs more widely. Tiepzo’s involvement in such publications illustrates the period’s interest in disseminating ornamental motifs for use in interior decoration and book illustration.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, also known as Giambattista Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school.
Title Page
Title Page
Various Caprices: Title Page
Various Caprices
Title Page for "The Capricci"
Title Page for "The Capricci"
Capricci di varie battaglie (Title Page)
Title Page for "The Capricci"
Title Page for "The Capricci"
Pinacotheca Hamptoniana
Title Page for "Multifariarum Casularum"
Title Page of Raccolta di alcuni disegni del Barberi da Cento detto il Guercino