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Allegory of the Planets and Continents

1752
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 643
On April 20, 1752, Tiepolo presented this preliminary sketch to Carl Philipp von Greiffenklau, prince‑bishop of Würzburg, in present-day Germany, as his proposal for the decoration of the staircase ceiling at the ruler’s residence. The resulting fresco has been lauded as the artist’s greatest achievement and a landmark of European painting. Among Tiepolo’s largest and most dazzling oil sketches, this picture shows Apollo about to embark on his daily journey across the sky. Deities around the sun god symbolize the planets, and allegorical figures at the edges personify Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The final fresco positions Würzburg and its rulers at the center of the cosmos.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Allegory of the Planets and Continents
  • Artist: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, Venice 1696–1770 Madrid)
  • Date: 1752
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 73 x 54 7/8 in. (185.4 x 139.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1977
  • Object Number: 1977.1.3
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

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5094. Allegory of the Planets and Continents

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More Artwork

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Adoration of the Magi, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Italian, Etching
Adoration of the Magi
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
ca. 1753 (?)
Half-dressed Nymph with two children, surrounded by four men, from the Scherzi, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Italian, Etching
Half-dressed Nymph with two children, surrounded by four men, from the Scherzi
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
ca. 1743–50
St. Joseph with the Child Jesus
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
The Family of the oriental Peasant, from the Scherzi, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Italian, Etching
The Family of the oriental Peasant, from the Scherzi
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
ca. 1740
A Shepherd with two Magicians, from the Scherzi, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Italian, Etching
A Shepherd with two Magicians, from the Scherzi
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
ca. 1740

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