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A Centaur Meeting a Faun and His Family

Artist Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (Italian, August 30, 1727–March 3, 1804)
Title A Centaur Meeting a Faun and His Family
Date Ca. 1770
Medium Brown ink and brown wash on paper
Dimensions Image: 7 7/16 x 10 13/16 in. (18.9 x 27.5 cm)
Sheet: 7 7/16 x 10 13/16 in. (18.9 x 27.5 cm)
Framed: 15 7/8 × 20 × 1 1/2 in. (40.3 × 50.8 × 3.8 cm)
Credit Line The Anthony Moravec Collection of Old Master Drawings, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 2010.131

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About this Work

Domenico Tiepolo’s later drawings of centaurs include depictions of the seduction of satyr women. He also drew satyrs and fauns alone with their families. Here is a unique example in which Domenico showed an encounter between a centaur and a faun family, who appear dismayed at the centaur’s arrival. Mr. Faun steps forward to stop the visitor, while Mrs. Faun holds her baby close and their son huddles near his father. While peaceful at the moment, this meeting resonates with tension, as the outcome of the encounter remains in doubt.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"A Centaur Meeting a Faun and His Family | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.131