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The Judgement of Midas
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo·c. 1733
Historical Context
The Judgement of Midas, painted around 1733 and now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia, depicts the Ovidian episode in which King Midas misjudges a musical contest between Apollo and Pan, preferring Pan's rustic pipes to the god's lyre and earning donkey ears as punishment. Tiepolo found in this subject from the Metamorphoses a perfect vehicle for theatrical comedy: Midas's confident ignorance mocked, Apollo's divine irritation conveyed, and the absurd transformation announced. The Gallerie dell'Accademia painting dates from Tiepolo's period of intense mythological production in the early 1730s, when he was also executing the Villa Loschi frescoes and establishing himself as the supreme Venetian painter of his generation. His contemporaries Giambattista Pittoni and Jacopo Amigoni painted similar Ovidian subjects for the same patrician market, but Tiepolo's superior luminosity and compositional invention distinguished him decisively. The subject of erring artistic judgment carried self-referential wit — Tiepolo was himself the supreme artistic judge of his era, and his choice of this theme was not without irony.
Technical Analysis
The painting showcases Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's luminous palette, with airy compositions lending the work its distinctive character. The palette and brushwork are calibrated to serve the subject matter, demonstrating the technical command expected of a work from this period.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice King Midas judging Pan superior to Apollo — earning himself donkey ears for his poor musical taste in this Ovidian comedy.
- ◆Look at the luminous palette and airy compositions bringing decorative charm to this c. 1733 Gallerie dell'Accademia painting.
- ◆Observe the mythological subject from Ovid's Metamorphoses allowing Tiepolo to blend humor with classical grandeur.
