The Family of the oriental Peasant, from the Scherzi 1725 - 1780

"The Family of the Oriental Peasant" is an etching by the renowned Italian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, created between 1725 and 1780. This artwork, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, depicts a family of three, a mother cradling a child while seated on a donkey. The delicate, flowing lines of Tiepolo's etching capture a sense of tranquility and intimacy, with the figures appearing almost weightless against the landscape backdrop. The presence of an owl perched on a branch in the upper right adds an element of whimsy and unexpected symbolism. This etching, characteristic of Tiepolo's "Scherzi" series, explores the theme of everyday life with a touch of theatricality, appealing to the viewer's sense of the picturesque.