Saint Thecla Praying for the Plague-Stricken  1759

The present preliminary sketch is for one of Tiepolo's greatest religious works, the altarpiece in the apse of the cathedral at Este, near Padua. Commissioned in 1758 and installed on Christmas Day, 1759, the picture commemorates the plague of 1630 with the citizens of Este praying for the intercession of Saint Thecla. The first-century saint is shown among the victims; th...