Venus entrusting Cupid to Time
Medium
Etching; second state of three (Succi)
Dimensions
Plate: 17 13/16 × 11 7/8 in. (45.2 × 30.1 cm) Sheet: 18 7/16 x 12 1/16 in. (46.8 x 30.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1957
Accession Number
57.619.5
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Venus Entrusting Cupid to Time is a captivating etching created between 1758 and 1780 by the renowned Venetian artists Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and his son Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. second state of three, as cataloged by Succi, measures nearly 18 by 12 inches on its sheet and exemplifies the Tiepolo family's mastery ofmaking. Giovanni Battista, a leading figure of the Rococo movement, was celebrated for his exuberant frescoes and mythological scenes adorning Europe's grand palaces, while Domenico often collaborated, carrying forward his father's dynamic style into intricate etchings that made their art more widely accessible. The composition depicts the Roman goddess Venus, nude and graceful, tenderly handing her son Cupid to the figure of Time, surrounded by doves symbolizing love and purity. This poignant mythological narrative explores themes of love's transience and protection amid the passage of time—a fitting Rococo motif blending sensuality with allegory. The Tiepolos' etching technique shines here: fine lines capture fluid movement, airy space, and dramatic lighting, echoing the illusionistic effects of their painted ceilings. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department through The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this print highlights 18th-century Venice's vibrant print culture, where etchings democratized elite art for collectors across Europe. A testament to familial artistic legacy, it invites visitors to ponder eternity's gentle hold on fleeting passions.
About the Artist
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo|Giovanni Battista Tiepolo · 1727–1804
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727-1804) was a Venetian painter, printmaker, and draftsman whose career spanned the twilight of the Rococo era. Born on August 30, 1727, in Venice as the eldest son of the celebrated Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, he worked both in his father's shadow and as a significant independent artist who developed a distinctly earthbound and humanistic vision. Domenico's importance...