Madonna mit dem Rosenkranz und weiblicher Akt c. 1735 - 1740

This drawing of the Madonna with a Rosary and a Female Nude was made by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, sometime between 1696 and 1770. Tiepolo, an Italian painter and printmaker from the Venetian Republic, lived in a society deeply shaped by religious traditions, and the imagery of the Madonna was a powerful symbol of the feminine divine and the ideal mother. In this sketch, Tiepolo juxtaposes the idealized, maternal figure of the Madonna with a nude female form, inviting us to consider the multifaceted representations of women in his time. How does the inclusion of both the Madonna and the nude challenge or reinforce the cultural expectations placed on women? How do these images speak to the complex interplay of sensuality, spirituality, and societal roles that women navigated in the 18th century? These issues remain strikingly relevant today.