Punchinello with the Ostriches

Giandomenico Tiepolo, a prolific painter, etcher and draftsman, learned his craft from his father, Giambattista Tiepolo. Working together, they created soaring frescoes on mythological, religious, and historical subjects but also works that sensitively reflected the costumes, activities, and pleasures of daily life.

This is one of 104 drawings Tiepolo created in a series entitled Divertimento per li regazzi (Entertainment for Children), illustrating the adventures of Punchinello, a stock character in the Italian commedia dell'arte. Depicted as a hunchback wearing a mask with beaked nose, cylindrical hat, and white clothing, the character was an inveterate trickster. In this scene, Punchinello closely examines the wing and underside of a large ostrich, while two smaller ostriches enter from the left. A group of wealthy onlookers dressed in sixteenth-century costume stand near a statue of Ganymede, who is accompanied by his attribute, an eagle. Ganymede- renowned for his beauty and his association with high art-makes a marked contrast to the "low art" of Punchinello, who is descended from a chicken or turkey, and here consorts with a bird known for its bizarre appearance.

The simultaneous fluency and tremulousness of Tiepolo's line impart vivacity and movement, and his use of the brightness of the sheet in creating highlights provides a marvelous counterpoint to his rich, brown wash.