Tiepolo's Incontro al Molo auctions for $725,000

A drawing by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, Incontro al Molo: A 'Codega', made $725,000 at Sotheby's Old Master Drawings sale in New York on January 29.

Translated as Showing The Way To A Noble Couple on a Molo (1791), the work depicts a wealthy couple being directed by a Venetian lantern bearer.

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo drawing
The work by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo depicts a Venetian lantern bearer directing a couple

Tiepolo (1727-1804) was a significant artist of the 18th century, best known for vibrant works that capture the riotous atmosphere of 18th century Venice.  

He was the son of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, a painter who dealt with more austere, religious themes, and whose The Arrival of Henry III at the Villa Contarini sold for $5.9m at Christie's New York in 2012.

Another drawing by the younger Tiepolo, Punchinello Collapses in the Road, sold for $695,000 yesterday, and features the much-loved clown who inspired the British Punch and Judy tradition.  

Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Portrait of Ottaviano Castelli made $233,000.

Bernini (1598-1680) was an Italian artist who worked predominantly in the field of sculpture, and is best known for his realisations of subjects from Greek mythology.

The drawing dates to the 1640s and depicts a well-known contemporary playwright. It is one of only a handful of portraits by Bernini where the sitter has been identified.

His record was set at £2m ($3.2m) for a terracotta statue that sold at Sotheby's London in 2002.

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