The Raising of Tabitha

Tiepolo employs rapid, sketchy lines to convey movement, allowing the figures to appear in a state of immediate action. Cross‑hatching builds texture in the clothing and stone background, while the brown wash over charcoal creates a warm, atmospheric tone. The loosely rendered arch and wall function more as a theatrical set than a detailed interior.

Born into the celebrated Tiepolo family, Giovanni Domenico was the son of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and brother of Lorenzo Baldissera. He pursued both painting and printmaking, particularly etching, throughout his career. The drawing, produced late in his life, reflects his facility with drawing as a preparatory and expressive medium.

The work belongs to a period when religious subjects continued to be explored through the lens of Enlightenment sensibilities, emphasizing narrative clarity and emotional immediacy. Tiepolo’s choice of a biblical miracle aligns with the era’s interest in moral exempla, while his loose handling of line anticipates later Romantic and Realist approaches to drawing.