The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 26, 2024

The Disrobing of Christ

The Disrobing of Christ

c. 1785–90
(Italian, 1727–1804)
Italy, Venice, 18th century
pen and brown and black ink, brush and black, brown, and red-brown wash, over black chalk; framing lines in pen and brown ink
Sheet: 47.9 x 38.2 cm (18 7/8 x 15 1/16 in.); Image: 46.1 x 36.2 cm (18 1/8 x 14 1/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1999.5
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo worked on his Large Biblical Series, including this and around 260 other drawings, from five to ten years.

Description

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, an important Venetian fresco painter of the 18th century, is best known today for his highly finished historical drawings that ingeniously incorporate details from daily life. This drawing, from a suite of more than 260 sheets known as the Large Biblical Series, depicts the Disrobing of Christ (the tenth Station of the Cross). A trio of patriarchs watch as Roman soldiers strip Jesus of his robe, a mob brews in the background, and over the lip of the hill, Roman soldiers trumpet the Crucifixion. The figure of Jesus, who glows with the stark white color of Domenico’s exposed paper, emerges simple and luminous from the chaos around him. His hammer-wielding executioner, emphasized with golden-brown wash, kneels before him—an ironic touch that implies the religious significance of Christ’s death. Domenico's signature technique, seen here, includes an underdrawing in black chalk or charcoal, contour lines drawn with a quill pen and brush, and modeling with a range of brown washes. His gestural, agitated lines evoke a strong sense of movement and emotional tension. The artist likely made the series for his own edification rather than for sale, as he kept the drawings during his lifetime and no prints were made.
  • ?-1869
    Victor Luzarches [1803-1869], Tours, France.
    After 1869-?
    Camille Rogier [1805-1893], Paris.
    1993
    (Christie's, New York, January 13, 1993, no. 62, sold.)
    1993-?
    (Stephen Mazoh & Co., Inc., New York.)
    ?-1999
    Martin Kline [1961-], Rhinebeck, New York, sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Feb. 1999.
    1999-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.
  • Guerlin, Henri. Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo: au temps du Christ. Tours: Alfred Mame et fils, 1921. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 81-82, pl. 81.
    “Market results: Old Master Drawings.” The Art Newspaper (New York, NY), Feb. 1993. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 29.
    Gealt, Adelheid M., George Knox, Giuseppe Bergamini, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Domenico Tiepolo: Master Draftsman. Milan: Electa, 1996. Mentioned: pp. 82, 175, no. 104
    Gealt, Adelheid M. and George Knox. Giandomenico Tiepolo: Maestria e Gioco, Disegni dal mondo. Milan: Electa, 1996. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 82, 175 no. 104
    Conrad, Christofer. “Die grossformatigen religiösen Zeichnungen Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo.” Ph. D. diss. Université de Heidelberg, 1996. Mentioned: no. 162
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Major Benin Bronze Plaque, Rembrandt Print, Other Works of Art Enter CMA Collection,” March 12, 1999, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Diane DeGrazia, and Carter E. Foster. Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 2000. Mentioned: cat. no. 26, p. 11, pp. 11, 72-73, 286; Reproduced: p. 73
    De Grazia, Dianne, "The Disrobing of Christ", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 40 no. 03, March 2000 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 6-7 archive.org
    Gealt, Adelheid M., George Knox, and Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. Domenico Tiepolo: A New Testament. Bloomington: Indiana University Art Museum in association with Indiana University Press, 2006. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 480-481, cat. no. 198
  • Treasures on Paper from the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 9-June 8, 2014).
    Domenico Tiepolo: A New Testament. Frick Collection, New York, NY (organizer) (October 24, 2006-January 7, 2007).
    Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 27-October 17, 2000); The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (May 23-August 19, 2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (October 14, 2001-January 6, 2002).
  • {{cite web|title=The Disrobing of Christ|url=false|author=Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo|year=c. 1785–90|access-date=26 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.5