LUCA CARLEVARIJS | Venice, a view of a corner of St. Mark's Square, with peasants and dogs to the right and other figures, some in oriental dress, to the left | 盧卡・卡萊瓦里斯 | 《威尼斯，聖馬可廣場一隅景觀，右見農民與狗，左見身穿東方服裝的人物》

Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1797–1861), Stowe House, Buckinghamshire;

His sale, on the premises, Stowe House, twenty-second day, Christie's, 13 September 1848, lot 212 (as 'St. Mark's, Venice'), for £6–16s.6d. to R. Berkeley Esq; 

Robert Berkeley (1794–1874), Spetchley Park, Worcestershire; 

Thence by descent.

Inventory and valuation of the furniture and effects at Spetchley Park, Worcester, the property of R. G. Berkeley Esquire, 1949, listed hanging on 'the Staircase leading to Bedrooms over' (as Italian School, St. Marks, Venice).

This previously unrecorded painting is presented here for the first time as a work by Luca Carlevarijs, the first of the great Venetian view painters, and as such is an exciting new addition to the artist’s painted œuvre. Only two other canvases of a similar size are known: that in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford,¹ and the Gentleman on the Fondamenta Nuove, Venice, before the church of San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti, offered at Christie’s, London, 7 July 2016, lot 37. The figure of the roasted chestnut vendor seated on the right here is also similar to that in the foreground of the painting formerly in the Dall'Agnese collection.² The appearance of the Piazza San Marco in this painting suggests that the work dates from before 1723–25, when the square was paved – here, the state of the ground shows clearly that it has been depicted prior to this renovation work.

We are grateful to Charles Beddington for endorsing the attribution to Carlevarijs on the basis of first-hand inspection; and to Dario Succi for his help with the cataloguing of this lot, and for endorsing the attribution to Carlevarijs on the basis of a digital image.

Further paintings and works of art acquired from the Stowe sale by Robert Berkeley (1794–1874), together with other items from the collection at Spetchley Park, are to be sold in these rooms on 11 December 2019. Please refer to the dedicated catalogue for further information.

¹ See D. Succi, Luca Carlevarijs, Gorizia 2015, pp. 211–12, no. 74, reproduced in colour p. 213.

² See Succi 2015, pp. 188–90, no. 50, reproduced in colour p. 189.