Soldiers Trying to Prevent Two Men From Fighting
1728–30
Medium
Pen and brown
Dimensions
14 3/16 x 20 7/8 in. (36.1 x 53 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.447
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 18th-century Venice, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo crafted *Soldiers Trying to Prevent Men From Fighting* around1728–30, a dynamic pen and brown ink drawing that captures raw human drama. At 14 3/16 x 20 7/8 inches, this sheet from the Robert Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases Tiepolo's early mastery as a leading Rococo artist. The scene depicts soldiers intervening in a heated brawl between two men, rendered with swift, expressive lines that convey motion, tension, and muscular energy—hallmarks of his Venetian training under masters like Gregori...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo · 1696–1770
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) stands as the greatest decorative painter of eighteenth-century Europe, a Venetian master whose luminous frescoes and dynamic compositions defined the Rococo era's aesthetic zenith. Born in Venice on March 5, 1696, to a modest shipping merchant family, Tiepolo's extraordinary talent transcended his humble origins to establish him as the most sought-after artis...