Artwork Page for The Game of Bowls

Details / Information for The Game of Bowls

Series Title: Divertimento per li Regazzi (Entertainment for Children)

The Game of Bowls

1797–1804

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

(Italian, 1727–1804)
Culture
Italy, 18th century
Medium
pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, over traces of black chalk; framing lines in brown ink over graphite on antique laid paper
Support
Cream(1) laid paper
Measurements
Image: 29.7 x 41.6 cm (11 11/16 x 16 3/8 in.); Sheet: 35.5 x 47.3 cm (14 x 18 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1937.571
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

This drawing is part of a larger series that depicts the life of Punchinello, a clown-like character derived from Italian popular theater.

Description

Here, Punchinello characters sporting their signature conical hats and hooked-nosed masks compete against a group of men in a lively game of bocce,an Italian bowling game. While their exaggerated movements infuse the drawing with a sense of whimsy, the massive prison fortress behind them suggests surveillance and control. Although not overtly political, this detail may allude to Venice’s fall to the French in 1797, which led to a ban on the commedia dell’arte, Italy’s popular theater tradition with its mocking Punchinellos.
A horizontally oriented ink and wash drawing in brown tones on cream paper depicts figures playing bowls. In the foreground, a man leans toward several small balls while onlookers watch from behind; several, wearing tall conical hats and masks, lean forward in anticipation. A high stone wall with a turret on the far left fills the background, rendered with light washes for shadow.

The Game of Bowls

1797–1804

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

(Italian, 1727–1804)
Italy, 18th century

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