An artwork on Galleree from Cleveland Museum of Art.
About the artwork
A Young Woman Buying a Pink from a Young Manc. 1740
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta was celebrated for his finished drawings of saints, portraits, and <em>teste di carattere </em>(character heads). Cleveland’s sheet belongs to the latter genre, which describes portraits embellished with props to suggest a character type or types. Here, Piazzetta united three independent studies of individuals into a single scene, in which a young woman appears to purchase a pink—a type of flower related to the carnation—from a boy with a second young woman looking on.The image bristles with tantalizing narrative potential, but it is left to the viewer to interpret the scene as they wish. Drawings of this size and quality of finish were displayed on walls like paintings, rather than stored in portfolios, with the unfortunate consequence that the Venetian blue paper often faded to a grayish-tan as here. However, the virtuosity of Piazzetta’s technique endures on this sheet. His method of modeling—wetting and rubbing his black crayon rather than hatching—produces the density of tone and velvety shadow. Textural details are supplied by white chalk, evoking the silky weave of the boy’s shirt and the hard substance of the figures’ fingernails. Piazzetta's drawings were in high demand among affluent foreign visitors and helped to supplement his income.
The flower the woman in this drawing plucks from the bouquet—a “pink”—was associated with marriage and love in 18th-century Europe.
black crayon (wetted and rubbed) heightened with white chalk on faded blue paper
Sheet: 42.7 x 54.9 cm (16 13/16 x 21 5/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
In a quiet, sunlit corner of a gallery, there hung a sheet that whispered stories from centuries past. Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, a master of his craft, had brought to life enchanting renderings of saints and noble faces. Yet, here stood a piece that belonged to a particular genre—*teste di carattere*, or character heads—works that conveyed more than mere likeness, adorned with props that spoke of identity and intention.
Upon this delicate sheet, three figures meld into a single, captivating tableau. A young woman leans forward, her eager hand reaching toward a boy who holds a pink—a flower with ties to the carnation—its petals delicate and inviting. A second young woman stands somewhat apart, observing the exchange with an air of curiosity. In this moment, Piazzetta spun a narrative that tickled the imagination and beckoned the viewer to weave their own tale. Was this a purchase, a flirtation, or perhaps a symbol of friendship? The choices lay in the observer's mind.
The sheet, rich in artistry, once shimmered with the vibrant hue of Venetian blue, but time has claimed its brilliance, leaving a muted grayish-tan. This fading is a reminder of the fragility of beauty, yet within those lines and strokes endures Piazzetta’s virtuosity. He employed a technique that felt alive—the black crayon applied with wet fingers, smudged and rubbed to capture depth and shadow, creating a velvety embrace of tone. The soft play of light danced against sanded paper, enhanced further by the deft touches of white chalk that illustrated the fine texture of the boy’s fabric and the distinct hardness of fingernails.
In his time, Piazzetta’s drawings were coveted by wealthy travelers, their charms enriching his life with extra coin. Each piece he created was not merely for storage within the confines of a portfolio but was instead revered and showcased with pride on gallery walls, where they could engage with the world.
As one gazes deeply into Piazzetta’s work, they feel an inviting stillness—an opportunity to pause, reflect, and enter a shared dialogue with the past. This sheet hangs not just as art; it serves as a bridge, connecting souls across time, evoking whispers of stories untold yet profoundly human.
About the artist
Creating transformative experiences through art “for the benefit of all the people forever.”The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The artworks shared on this platform are sourced from the museum's Open Access data under the CC0 license. No endorsement is implied.Address: 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH, USA 44106
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