Juno in the Clouds
Historical Context
Juno in the Clouds, painted around 1735 and now in the Louvre, depicts the queen of the gods enthroned among the heavens with the peacock that was her traditional attribute. The painting reflects Tiepolo's mastery of the celestial subject that would reach its supreme expression in his great ceiling frescoes at Würzburg and Madrid. Juno, wife of Jupiter and goddess of marriage and sovereignty, was a natural subject for palace decoration — her regal authority and celestial splendor made her an appropriate allegorical patron for aristocratic households. Tiepolo's Juno combines the solid grandeur appropriate to a divine queen with the atmospheric luminosity of his sky paintings, making the heavy robes and throne feel weightless in their celestial setting. The Louvre's acquisition of this work reflects French collecting of Italian Rococo painting throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Technical Analysis
Tiepolo renders the goddess with luminous flesh tones against a brilliant sky of blues and golds. The confident, fluid brushwork and the dynamic composition of floating figures demonstrate his supreme mastery of the airborne, celestial composition.
Look Closer
- ◆Look for the divine attributes that identify each mythological figure — traditional symbols and costume elements make the narrative legible to educated viewers.
