Giovanni Domenico was born in Venice, the eldest surviving son of G. B. Tiepolo, whose assistant he became. He worked in Venice, Würzburg and Vicenza. In 1762 he accompanied his father to Madrid, and on his death in 1770 returned to Venice.
Although overshadowed by his father, Giovanni Domenico was a significant painter in his own right. His work is more down to earth and less allegorical than his father's.
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
1727 - 1804
Paintings by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
The Building of the Trojan Horse illustrates an episode from one of the most famous stories in Greek mythology – that of the Trojan War and fall of Troy. Soldiers in armour prepare for battle while workmen build the giant wooden horse in which Greek soldiers will hide, allowing them to secretly e...
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo based this painting on a picture of the same subject by Rembrandt (also in the National Gallery’s collection). Both make dramatic use of light and shade. Here Christ’s pale, limp body is highlighted by a white shroud. The two men crucified alongside Christ still hang on...
Not on display
Christ’s lifeless body lies at the foot of the Cross, supported by the Virgin Mary; she gazes towards heaven in deep sorrow. Mary Magdalene clings to Christ’s left arm, unable to contain her grief, and Saint John the Evangelist buries his face in his red drapery. Two other men are still crucified...
During the early 1750s, the Venetian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo painted a series of frescoes (a type of wall painting made directly onto wet plaster) for the archbishop’s palace in Würzburg in Germany. This picture is a small oil sketch after one of those scenes, probably made by his son Do...
Not on display
This painting shows an episode from the mythological Trojan War, as described by the Roman poet Virgil in the Aeneid. The Trojans rejoice as they pull a large wooden horse into their city, believing it to be a gift from the gods; it actually conceals a band of Greek soldiers. In the background, C...