Flora

Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, was among the most frequently depicted allegorical figures in Venetian palace decoration — her associations with abundance, beauty, and seasonal renewal making her a natural choice for the decorative programs of aristocratic interiors that emphasized sensuous pleasure and natural order. Tiepolo's Flora, located at the Complesso di Santa Caterina, draws on the rich Venetian heritage of allegorical female figures stretching from Titian's Floras through the preceding two centuries. The subject allowed Tiepolo to deploy his finest abilities in depicting the female figure in a context of natural abundance and seasonal celebration, creating images that were simultaneously mythological and decorative, learned and sensually immediate.

Loose, luminous brushwork models the figure with characteristic Tiepolo economy, using broad strokes to suggest form and atmosphere. Warm flesh tones are offset by the cool greens and blues of the floral attributes and sky.