Allegory of the Planets and Continents
Appearance
Allegory of the Planets and Continents | |
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Artist | Giovanni Battista Tiepolo |
Year | 1752 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 185.4 cm × 139.4 cm (73.0 in × 54.9 in) |
Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
Allegory of the Planets and Continents is a 1752 painting by Italian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.[1] Done in oil on canvas, the allegorical work uses human figures to represent members of the Greco-Roman pantheon, the planets, and four continents. The painting is an elaborate oil sketch made by Tiepolo in preparation for rendering a similar, larger version of his scene.[1][2]
Description
Tiepolo's work was painted to be hung above a staircase of the Würzburg Residence in Würzburg, Germany.[1][3] The intricate painting depicts figures circling around Tiepolo's rendering of Apollo, the sun god; this represents planets orbiting the Sun. The cornice of the painting symbolize the continents Europe, America, Africa, and Asia.[1]