Artist Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (Italian, August 30, 1727–March 3, 1804)
Title Unidentified Miracle
Series A New Testament
Date 1786–1790
Medium Brown ink and wash over black chalk on paper
Dimensions Sheet: 18 1/4 × 14 in. (46.4 × 35.6 cm)
Framed: 30 1/2 × 24 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (77.5 × 62.2 × 3.8 cm)
Credit Line The Anthony Moravec Collection of Old Master Drawings, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 2010.122
About this Work
The son of the famous Venetian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Domenico was also a noted draftsman. His graphic style, more earthbound and rooted in observation than his father’s, bears his distinctive trembling line quality. Domenico worked in serial narratives, including his New Testament cycle, numbering at least 320 sheets. This image is one of twelve drawings from this important series in Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art’s collection (Eskenazi Museum of Art 2010.111-.122). By combining narrative elements from a variety of literary sources with details of daily life, Domenico brought new life to these biblical stories.
In a vivid scene of elusive origins, the Almighty arrives in a vast cloud filled with flames and stars, just as a priest has opened the tabernacle. Candle-carrying worshippers, many of them nuns, suggest an association with the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, also known as Candlemas. It is also possible that this miracle took place at the Feast of Pentecost or it could have occurred closer to Domenico’s own time and may have been recorded in a text that remains undiscovered.
