Who painted The Vision of Saint Anne?

The Vision of Saint Anne was painted by Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo in 1756.

Where can I see The Vision of Saint Anne?

The Vision of Saint Anne is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Vision of Saint Anne?

The Vision of Saint Anne is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

The Vision of Saint Anne

Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo , 1756

The Vision of Saint Anne is an ink print by the Baroque artist Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo. It dates from 1756 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1756, *The Vision of Saint Anne* is an etching by Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo, the younger son of the renowned painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

Created in 1756, *The Vision of Saint Anne* is an etching by Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo, the younger son of the renowned painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Executed in black and white, the print presents a compact religious tableau that highlights the artist’s early involvement in large‑scale projects, notably the fresco program at the Würzburg Residence where he worked with his family from the early 1750s.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a kneeling, robed figure who gazes upward at a luminous female apparition. She hovers above, clothed in a flowing gown, cradling an infant, while swirling clouds frame the scene. The ethereal presence suggests a Marian or Saint Anne vision, inviting contemplation of divine intercession and the sanctity of motherhood within a celestial setting.

Technique & Style

Tiepolo employed traditional etching methods, incising lines into a copper plate and using acid to produce varying depths. Through careful hatching and cross‑hatching, he achieved tonal gradations that give the figures a three‑dimensional quality against the sky. The subtle contrast between the dark foreground and the luminous, almost translucent figure demonstrates his skill in rendering light within the print medium.

History & Provenance

The print bears an inscription at its base identifying Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo and his son as the makers, indicating a collaborative family workshop. Produced shortly after his contributions to the Würzburg Residence frescoes, the work likely circulated among patrons familiar with the Tiepolo workshop’s output in the mid‑18th century, though specific ownership records remain scarce.

Context

During the 1750s, the Tiepolo family was active across Europe, blending Italian Rococo sensibilities with the Germanic court’s decorative demands. Lorenzo’s involvement in the Würzburg Residence frescoes exposed him to grand narrative schemes, which he distilled here into a more intimate, print‑based format, reflecting the period’s interest in devotional imagery for private devotion.