Artwork
Profile of an Old Man with a Hat
Profile of an Old Man with a Hat is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. It dates from 1770 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo executed the print *Profile of an Old Man with a Hat* in 1770. The image is an etching on laid paper, presenting a solitary figure rendered in profile. It reflects the artist’s activity in the late eighteenth‑century Venetian print milieu, while also marking his personal development within the medium.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on an elderly male sitter, shown in strict profile. He wears a low‑set hat and his hair appears unkempt, suggesting age and perhaps a certain rustic character. The stark, frontal orientation emphasizes the individuality of the figure without narrative distraction.
Technique & Style
Created by incising a metal plate with a needle and then treating it with acid, the work displays the characteristic fine, controlled lines of etching, contrasted by occasional broader, more vigorous strokes that convey texture in the hair and hat. The use of laid paper adds a subtle, ribbed surface that interacts with the printed lines.
History & Provenance
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, the son and apprentice of the renowned Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, produced this print during his mature period. It aligns with the tradition of Venetian printmaking that his father helped popularize, yet it also demonstrates the younger Tiepolo’s distinct approach to portraiture in print form.
Context
The late 1700s saw a flourishing of etching in Venice, where artists often reproduced paintings or explored independent subjects. Tiepolo’s choice of a solitary, aged portrait reflects a broader interest in character studies and the human condition that was common among his contemporaries.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (August 30, 1727 – March 3, 1804) was an Italian painter and printmaker in etching. He was the son of artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and elder brother of Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo.
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