Allegorical Figure Representing Arithmetic
1760
Tiepolo, the last great master of the Venetian school, loved to play with the viewer's eye, and here he paints a woman so convincingly like marble you might want to tap her shoulder to check. Standing on a pedestal boldly labeled 'ARITHMETICA,' the allegorical figure is draped in flowing classical robes, her pose elegant and relaxed. She's framed by grand Ionic columns and a faux-relief sculpture in the background, creating a perfect illusion of a statue sitting in a classical niche. This playful blurring of painting and sculpture showcases the Rococo love for illusion, turning a flat surface into a deep architectural space.