Artwork
Arithmetic
Arithmetic is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed in 1760, Arithmetic is a large-scale painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo that exemplifies the Rococo style.
Executed in 1760, Arithmetic is a large-scale painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo that exemplifies the Rococo style. The work depicts a female figure and measures 370.8 cm in height by 147 cm in width. These substantial dimensions suggest the piece was likely created as part of a decorative scheme or ceiling installation, characteristic of Tiepolo's monumental approach during this period. The composition focuses on the allegorical representation of the subject through the central woman.
History & Provenance
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo executed the painting Arithmetic in 1760. Created during the Rococo period, the work depicts a female figure and measures 370.8 cm in height by 147 cm in width. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located.
Overview
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s oil painting Arithmetic, executed in 1760, presents a solitary female figure rendered in the light, decorative manner typical of the Rococo period. The work is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and measures a modest size, allowing close visual engagement with its allegorical content.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is an idealized woman dressed in a white, draped robe, standing on a marble‑like pedestal that bears the inscription “ARITHMETICA.” She holds a large quill in her right hand, a conventional attribute of the mathematical discipline, while her left hand rests on her hip, suggesting poised confidence in the abstract art of calculation.
Context
As an allegorical representation of arithmetic, the work reflects the Enlightenment’s growing interest in the sciences and education. Tiepolo, known primarily for grand frescoes, occasionally produced smaller, single‑figure compositions that served decorative or instructional purposes for aristocratic patrons.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, also known as Giambattista Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school.
