Boy With a Staff 1682 - 1754

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta made this drawing called ‘Boy With a Staff’ in 18th century Venice. In its time, Venice was an oligarchy, with power held by a small number of wealthy merchant families. Piazzetta challenges the traditional aristocratic portraiture by portraying a working-class boy. The boy's clothing is simple, his hair unkempt. He looks directly at the viewer with a forthright, non-deferential gaze. Piazzetta gives the boy a staff, perhaps hinting at the boy's role as a shepherd. At this time, the art academy in Venice promoted the idea of the 'disegno', the well-executed drawing, as a mark of artistic skill, and Venice itself was a popular destination for wealthy young men on the Grand Tour, seeking to acquire drawing skills in the style of the Old Masters. Piazzetta’s drawing would have been both a demonstration of skill, and a commodity for sale. The social and institutional histories of art help us understand the relationship between artistic skill, class, and the art market in 18th century Venice.