Lot Essay
The Venetian villa from which these splendid frescoes were removed is, unfortunately, unknown. Firmly and briskly painted in delicate shades of lavender, they reproduce with remarkable efficiency the appearance of relief sculptures and would, undoubtedly, have served as overdoors in a large-scale decorative scheme. Drawn with such dazzling facility that they can only be the work of Tiepolo himself, these graceful frescoes can reasonably be dated to the early 1740s.
Although Morassi published this and the following lots as 'painted in the main by Domenico [Tiepolo] and collaborators', he revised his opinion after seeing the frescoes cleaned, and in a letter dated 15 January 1963 declared his belief that the entire group of frescoes are by Giambattista Tiepolo.
Although Morassi published this and the following lots as 'painted in the main by Domenico [Tiepolo] and collaborators', he revised his opinion after seeing the frescoes cleaned, and in a letter dated 15 January 1963 declared his belief that the entire group of frescoes are by Giambattista Tiepolo.
