Friday, May 11, 2012

Antique Image of the Day: Four Punchinellos, 1751




Four Punchinellos
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
1751
The Harry Beard Collection
The Victoria & Albert Museum




Earlier today, we looked at a scene of three Punchinellos.  Now, from the same artist, the same engraver and the same year, we look at the next in the series—four Punchinellos.


Perhaps this one precedes, in story, the scene we saw this morning (see the bottom of the page) wherein two Punchs were stealing the lunch of another Punchinello.  Perhaps not, since Punchs like to eat.  Nevertheless, we see here four Punchinellos cooking. Three of them have  gathered around a pot which is boiling on an open fire. The final figure is--facing away from the others—stands next to a metal jug. I wonder what he’s up to.


In the background, we can pick out a ruined building with a shadowy figure inside.   It’s a delightfully odd picture.  


Also from the Harry Beard Collection, this, too, is the work of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

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