The Family of the Oriental Peasant

This print is one of five in a series entitled Scherzi, a word that is also used to refer to musical compositions of surprising, playful phrases. In the sensation-seeking Venice of Tiepolo's era, there was a fascination with all things mystical, and references to magic and superstition are prominent in other Scherzi scenes. Here, however, with the exception of the owl perched above, scholars have not been able to identify other clear symbols in the image. The three human figures, tightly knit in a triangular composition, seem mysteriously expectant but isolated psychologically from one another. The meaning of the image remains elusive.