The Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

ca. 1751–52 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

Tiepolo made this oil sketch in preparation for a fresco in an elaborately stuccoed and gilded reception room completed in 1752 for the prince‑bishop’s palace in Würzburg, present-day Germany. It represents an event in the city’s history that helped to celebrate and legitimize the region’s rulers: in 1168, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa gave Harold of Hochheim, Bishop of Würzburg, the title of Duke of Franconia.

Artist

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Date

ca. 1751–52

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Purchase, 1871