Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) was born in Venice to wealthy parents and chose to pursue a career in painting. In his early career he experimented with various styles simultaneously and by 1716 he started practising the art of fresco painting on the terrafirma. It is his frescoes in Udine that brought him immediate fame and commissions. In the next 10 years he painted and frescoed in palaces and villas in and around Milan, Bergamo, Venice, and elsewhere in the Veneto, the subjects of which derive mostly from ancient history. The artist’s fame and the prices of his artworks increased further in the 1740s. By the 1750s, Tiepolo’s expanded repertoire included literary, historical, mythological and allegorical as well as religious works.

“The Immaculate Conception” (1767-68) — oil on canvas, 110.6 inches × 61 inches — depicts the Virgin Mary, surrounded by angels and crowned with the circle of stars. She is shown trampling a snake, representing her victory over the devil. The lilies and the rose are references to the ‘enclosed garden’ symbolising her love and purity. The painting is displayed at the Prado Museum, Madrid.— M.Z.A

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, January 15th, 2017