Tiepolo was born in Venice in 1696 and he is generally regarded as the major artist of the Venetian Rococo period. As one of the few cities that offered operas and dramatic performances throughout the year, Venice was a great cultural center during the 18th century. The Rococo movement in art celebrated the decorative, it was a style that catered to the aristocracy and the excessive lifestyle that they led during the years before the uprising of the lower classes and French Revolution.

At one point Tiepolo was the most celebrated artist of the city, his favorite medium was, oddly enough, that of the fresco technique. Venice's many canals and waterways create a climate that is somewhat difficult for frescoes, being that they are pigments painted directly into the wet plaster of a wall or ceiling. Yet at this technique Tiepolo was a master, his frescoes achieving a sense of pictorial depth without a hint of shallowness.

Tiepolo drew from a number of sources including the Baroque master Rembrandt and Rubens. His choice of pallette, consisting mostly of cool, pale halftones (primary colors blended with a light shade) was influenced by Veronese as well as contemporary Rococo artists.
Tiepolo would father nine sons, two of whom (Giandomenico and Lorenzo) were accomplished painters in their own right.

Tiepolo's various commissions included numerous Italian churches, as well as private palazzos including the Palazzo Labia which holds one of his most famous fresco cycles relating the story of Antony and Cleopatra, one of his favorite themes.

Tiepolo's competence as a draftsman was an excellent preparation for his career as a painter. He was equally skilled in pen and ink as well as engraver.