Giambattista Tiepolo: His Representations of the Sacrifice of Iphigenia and His Self-Identification with the Classical History Painter Timanthes

Recent scholarship has examined Timanthes’ legacy and the exemplum of the sacrifice of Iphigenia to show its important place in the history of western art. However, a major figure has been omitted from these discussions, Giambattista Tiepolo (1691-1770). As the premier Italian fresco painter of the eighteenth century, Tiepolo seems to have depicted the sacrifice of Iphigenia more often than any other artist. Some scholars have suggested that Tiepolo’s treatment of the theme was primarily the result of contemporary trends in opera production. This paper will argue that Tiepolo’s representation of the subject aligned him with the Classical painter Timanthes of Kythnos, and was a self-conscious effort to reinforce his identity as the preeminent history painter of his day.