Oude man met baard en boek 1757 - 1774

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo etched this image of an old man with a beard and a book sometime in the 18th century. It depicts a man with a long beard holding a book and wearing a peculiar hat and heavily decorated belt. In the 1700s, Venice was a city of contrasts, of extreme wealth and extreme poverty, and also a place where the status of artists was changing. The institution of the academy was beginning to shape the careers of artists like Tiepolo, but Venice was also known for its printing industry. Printmaking allowed artists to circulate their ideas more widely and cheaply than ever before. This image, with its slightly caricatured depiction of old age and scholarship, reflects the culture of Venice. To understand Tiepolo's Venice, it's essential to consult archival sources, and histories of the Venetian printing industry. These sources help us understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production. After all, art always depends on its social and institutional context.