Engel en putti met aflaatboeken van Karmelieter Orde en cherubijnen 1742 - 1746

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo made this drawing of angels, putti and books of indulgences using pen and brown ink in the eighteenth century. The drawing gives the appearance of a fresco, but records a ceiling painting by his father Giambattista Tiepolo in the chapel of the Carmelite church in Venice. The Catholic Church, particularly in Venice, was an important patron of the arts and controlled artistic production through its wealth and influence, setting the themes and styles of artworks. Tiepolo’s drawing promotes the Carmelite order through its depiction of putti holding books of indulgences. It shows how the church used art to convey its message of redemption and salvation. The church also used art to convey its power and authority, and artists relied on its patronage. Looking at the archives of the Carmelite order, alongside histories of Venice and the Catholic church during the period, helps us understand the role of this drawing within the larger social and institutional structures of eighteenth-century Venice.