CIRCLE OF GIOVANNI BATTISTA TIEPOLO (ITALIAN 1696-1770)TITHONOS AND AURORAPen, ink and wash30.5 x 22.3cm (12 x 8¾ in.) Provenance: The Henry Oppenheimer CollectionSale, Christie's, The Henry Oppenheimer Collection, 14th September, 1936, lot 185 (B) (part lot)Where purchased by Sir Osbert Sitwell, 5th Bt. And thence by descent. Tithonus, in Greek legend, son of Laomedon, king of Troy, and of Strymo, daughter of the river Scamander. Aurora, goddess of the dawn, fell in love with Tithonus and took him to Ethiopia, where she bore Emathion and Memnon. According to the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, when Aurora asked Zeus to grant Tithonus eternal life, the god consented. But she forgot to ask also for eternal youth, so her husband grew old and withered. Medium Pen, ink and wash Condition Report The sheet is uneven and hinged in two places down the left edge. It appears to have been laid down at some point. There is some foxing, dirt and discolouration at the edges. There is also some old glue staining to the lower left corner.