Tiepolo und das Kostüm

Much of the appeal of Giambattista Tiepolo's painting (1696–1770) rests on his depiction of costume. The heroes and heroines of his history paintings are dressed in elaborate, luxurious and inventive garments — and these are by no means decorative accessories. Tiepolo deploys historical and orientalising dress with real knowledge and uses it to make complex conceptions of history visible. Drawing on selected major works, Torsten Korte takes a new look at an aspect that has so far received little attention, and his theoretical reflection on history painting as a genre reaches beyond the eighteenth century.