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The Glorification of the Barbaro Family

ca. 1750
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 642
Once part of a ceiling decoration at Venice’s Palazzo Barbaro, this painting was never intended to be seen head-on or at such close range. The mental leaps necessary to reimagine it high overhead, however, replicates Tiepolo’s process: through drawings and oil sketches that solved issues of color distribution, composition, perspective, and his patron’s approval, Tiepolo foresaw highly site-specific demands. The trumpet, outstretched arm, and foreshortened central figure gave the false impression that the ceiling opened to the sky. Tiepolo was adept at allegorizing his patrons through figures that include Valor, Fame, and Glory.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Glorification of the Barbaro Family
  • Artist: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, Venice 1696–1770 Madrid)
  • Date: ca. 1750
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: Irregular oval, 96 x 183 3/4 in. (243.8 x 466.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Anonymous Gift, in memory of Oliver H. Payne, 1923
  • Object Number: 23.128
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

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5208. The Glorification of the Barbaro Family

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More Artwork

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The Glorification of the Barbaro Family
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
After Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
ca. 1750
Allegory of the Planets and Continents, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Italian, Oil on canvas
Allegory of the Planets and Continents
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
1752
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
Merry Company on a Terrace, Jan Steen Dutch, Oil on canvas
Merry Company on a Terrace
Jan Steen
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Allegorical Figure Representing Metaphysics, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Workshop Italian, Fresco, transferred to canvas
Allegorical Figure Representing Metaphysics
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
and Girolamo Mengozzi (called Colonna)
1760

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