Lot 70

DRAWINGS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THEOPHIL FRIEDRICH JAKOB KÜNHANS (LOTS 70-86) Theophil Friedrich Jakob Künhans (1727-1786) was the son of a pastor, born in Werningsleben in the state of Thuringia. After attending school in Erfurt he studied theology and afterwards spent time living in both Switzerland and Italy. He assembled a collection of rare bible editions, theological commentaries and oriental manuscripts which, on his death, he bequeathed to the library of the Evangelisches Ministerium in Erfurt. From circa 1773 he is recorded in Venice, where he worked as Secretary to the eminent scientist John Strange (1732-1799), during the latter's tenure as English Resident. A Fellow both of the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Society, John Strange continued to pursue his passionate interest in natural history during his time in Venice (see the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions, 1775, pp. 5-47, 418-23 and 1777, pp. 144-61). Strange also acted occasionally as an art dealer and formed a collection of books, pictures and drawings, some of which were auctioned posthumously at Christie's, London, 18-24 March 1800. The following drawings were presented to Künhans as testaments of friendship and regard by the artists, connoisseurs and scientists who moved in his circle in Venice. They show that he was well acquainted with Count Giacomo Durazzo, the Imperial Ambassador to Venice, and with the artists who enjoyed his patronage, including Joseph Wagner and Giovanni David. There are also tokens from native Venetian artists, perhaps the most striking of which is a previously unknown drawing by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. A few of the drawings bear dates, suggesting that Künhans assembled them from circa 1779 until shortly before his death, in April 1786. As a group, they throw light on the intellectual circles in which Künhans moved during his time in Venice, in which the spirit of the Enlightenment embraced both the sciences and the arts.

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (Venice 1727-1804)

Turks with an augur looking out to sea, perhaps an allegory of the Battle of Lepanto

Details

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (Venice 1727-1804)
Turks with an augur looking out to sea, perhaps an allegory of the Battle of Lepanto
with number '165' (in the border, lower right)
black chalk, pen and brown ink, brown wash
8 3/8 x 6 in. (21.2 x 15.2 cm.)

Provenance

Theophil Friedrich Jakob Künhans, Venice.

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

Turks and Orientals appear frequently as onlookers in Tiepolo's drawings, paintings and prints, representing the exoticism and mysticism of the East. In this lively drawing, however, they become the focus of the composition. Although the subject cannot be identified with certainty, it may represent an episode from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, a crucial moment in the relationship between East and West and a defining victory for the Venetian Republic. It is said that, as the Turkish galleys left Istanbul to engage with the Christian fleet, the city elders saw a flock of crows hovering above their ships - possibly the birds who are visible in the present drawing. Their augurs interpreted this as an evil omen and then cast lots - possibly represented by the vase beside the seated figure of a slave in the foreground - which only confirmed their fears. If this interpretation is correct, it would explain the air of tension among the richly-dressed figures, who gaze out at the sea with foreboding.

We are grateful to Dr Rick Scorza for sharing his thoughts on the subject.

More from Old Master & Early British Drawings & Watercolours

View All