Sketch for a Ceiling c. 1750s

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo made this ‘Sketch for a Ceiling’ using oil paint on canvas. We can see the rapid, fluid brushwork typical of a preparatory study. But consider for a moment the labor involved in the full project. A ceiling painting on this scale demanded many hands. From the miners extracting pigments from the earth, to the craftsmen preparing the plaster surface, to Tiepolo himself and his workshop assistants, all contributed to the final result. The sketch gives us a sense of Tiepolo’s vision, yet it is important to remember that the finished ceiling, commissioned no doubt by a wealthy patron, also represents a complex social network and a hierarchy of artistic and craft practices. By focusing on the material and processes involved, we can appreciate the full scope of Tiepolo’s achievement, challenging traditional notions of authorship and artistic genius.