The Baptism of Christ (with Two Ducks in the Water at Lower Right) 1767 - 1793

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo made this pen and wash drawing of the Baptism of Christ at an unknown date, but likely in Venice in the late 18th century. The sacrament of baptism has long been a central ritual for the Catholic Church, with elaborate ceremonies acting as a major demonstration of religious and institutional power. Tiepolo's approach to this well-worn subject seems almost irreverent. The mundane realism of the unidealized figures and freely worked brushstrokes contrast with the pomp and grandeur associated with official religious art. Note the two ducks floating in the lower right corner, an amusing detail which subverts the high seriousness of the scene. The art institutions of Venice, such as the painters' guild, the *Fraglia*, often pushed back against such experimentation. Art history helps us understand how innovative works like this challenged the norms of their time. By studying period writings about art and the institutions that governed artistic production, we gain insight into the dynamic relationship between artistic freedom and social constraints.