Tiepolo and Self-Representation

Abstract This essay explores the various facets and implications of the captivating process of self-representation by Giambattista Tiepolo and his sons and students, Giandomenico and Lorenzo, in their artistic work. This common theme resembles a true ‘family affair’. It presents an in-depth study of several unpublished documents housed in the Archivio e Fototeca Antonio Morassi in Venice related to Giambattista’s only known independent self-portrait, along with new insights into the ongoing desire of the ‘three Tiepolos’ to depict themselves and one another in their artwork. Such an analysis allows for a broader contextualization of the genre of the self-portrait as a socio-cultural phenomenon, in relation to the growing awareness of the role of the artist and the function of the patron. Finally, the research assesses the methodological implications inherent in this intriguing ‘search for the effigy’, proposing a range of case studies that examine the blurred boundary between interpretation and the potential for over-interpretation of Tiepolo’s self-portraits.