Sketches of Male Heads (recto); Queen and Page (verso) n.d.

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo created these Sketches of Male Heads with pen and brown ink. The composition presents a frieze-like arrangement of heads, each rendered with a striking dynamism. The ink's varying densities model the faces, giving them volume and emotional depth. Tiepolo’s sketch exists within a historical context profoundly shaped by the Enlightenment’s emphasis on reason, and the burgeoning fields of psychology and physiognomy which attempted to codify facial expressions and character. Here, Tiepolo uses line and form to explore human expression, and perhaps destabilize the idea of fixed identities. Each face is etched with unique characteristics, challenging viewers to decode these figures. Are they studies for characters, or explorations into the range of human emotion? Ultimately, this work invites us to consider how line and form not only depict the external appearance but also hint at the complex internal states of its subjects, reflecting the period’s broader intellectual interest in understanding the human condition. The linear quality, while descriptive, also serves as a mode of inquiry.