Dice Players in a Venetian Square
1712–93
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of graphite or lead or black chalk. Framing lines in pen and brown ink
Dimensions
14 13/16 x 10 9/16in. (37.6 x 26.8cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1937
Accession Number
37.165.70
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of 18th-century Venice, Guardi (1712–3) captures a lively scene in *Dice Players in a Venetian*, a delicate drawing now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Drawings and Prints., a master of theuta tradition—topographical views of Venice akin to his contemporary Canaletto—depicts men engrossed in a dice game amid the city's iconic architecture. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1937, this 14 13/16 x 10 9/16-inch sheet evokes the bustling piazzas where everyday life unfolded, blending architectural grandeur with spontaneous human activity. Executed in pen and...
About the Artist
Francesco Guardi · 1712–1793
Francesco Lazzaro Guardi (1712–1793) was born into a noble family of painters from Trentino who had settled in Venice. His father, Domenico Guardi, a minor painter trained in Vienna, died in 1716, leaving young Francesco to inherit the family workshop alongside his brothers Giovanni Antonio (Gian Antonio) and Niccolò, both artists, and sister Maria Cecilia, who married the renowned Giovanni Battis...