Der Tod des Heiligen Joseph 

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo made this pen and wash drawing, The Death of Saint Joseph, in 18th century Italy. In this intimate scene, we see the Virgin Mary and possibly an angel at the deathbed of the carpenter Joseph. Italy, in the 1700s, was politically fragmented and dominated by powerful families and the Catholic Church. Religious imagery was not only a reflection of genuine belief, but it also provided ideological support for the prevailing social order. Notice the way Joseph's death is presented here. It is quiet and domestic, but the heavens open to receive him. Tiepolo's Joseph is afforded a peaceful transition to paradise, a narrative that served the Church's teachings on faith, devotion, and the promise of salvation. The historian would want to explore the demand for this kind of imagery in the Venetian society of Tiepolo’s time, looking at the institutions that commissioned it and the public to whom it was addressed.