Punchinellos Felling (or Planting) a Tree
Domenico Tiepolo’s 104 drawings illustrating the life of Punchinello, a popular commedia dell’arte character, trace the amusing story of the everyman in elaborate detail—from his parentage, birth, and childhood to his diversions and adventures in near and distant lands to his illness, his death, and the apparition of his ghost. Nine sheets from the series are in the Robert Lehman Collection.
This energetic narrative of a group of Punchinello figures felling a tree may be an allusion to the so-called Tree of Liberty erected by Napoleonic troops as a symbol of their conquest of the Venetian Republic in 1797.
This energetic narrative of a group of Punchinello figures felling a tree may be an allusion to the so-called Tree of Liberty erected by Napoleonic troops as a symbol of their conquest of the Venetian Republic in 1797.
Artwork Details
- Title: Punchinellos Felling (or Planting) a Tree
- Artist: Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (Italian, Venice 1727–1804 Venice)
- Date: late 18th–early 19th century
- Medium: Pen and brown ink, brown wash, over rough black chalk
- Dimensions: 13 7/8 x 18 5/8 in. (35.3 x 47.3 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.1.468
- Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection
More Artwork
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.