Attributed To Lorenzo Tiepolo (1736–1776) - “portrait Of A Bearded Man Wearing A Turban”

This work is identified as a Baroque graphic study by Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo, or possibly by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

Similar compositions and head studies (teste di fantasia) were frequently produced in the 18th-century Venetian workshop of Tiepolo as independent graphic works or preparatory sketches for large-scale canvases.

The drawing is executed in sanguine on laid paper (papier vergé). The artist employs a soft yet precise hatching technique to masterfully render the volume of the face, the texture of the beard, and the intricate folds of the turban’s fabric.

The artwork is mounted on a mat (passe-partout) and housed in an authentic 18th-century wooden frame with a hand-carved, gilded inner lip.

Male portraits featuring exotic headwear and turbans were a defining signature of the Tiepolo family. These works brilliantly demonstrated the artists’ mastery of character expression and chiaroscuro, and they were in exceptionally high demand among graphic art collectors of the period.