Michele Marieschi

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 22 April 2005, lot 5 (as Attributed to Marieschi);
There purchased by the present owner.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting was restored in approximately the last 50 years and is in very good condition. The canal and the buildings are in very fresh condition. There is no abrasion or lack of texture, and the richness in these areas is noticeable. In the sky the restorations may be a little inadequate and our advice would be to reproach the retouches in order to diminish some of the white ground color which is still visible. Retouching is to be expected in the skies of pictures from this period, and this is a painting which will benefit from reexamination.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

When last sold in 2005, Dr. Dario Succi confirmed the attribution of this painting to Michele Marieschi from photographs.  He dated it circa 1737-8, shortly after Marieschi began painting for one of his most important patrons, Matthias von der Schulenburg, commander of the Venetian armies and described it is a "bellissima veduta e opera inedita e autografa di Michele Marieschi" (see under Provenance).  It is the prototype of a work of almost exactly the same size in the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, N.C. which Succi dates circa 1740.  Despite the minimal differences in the striped awnings, boats and figures in the foreground, the vibrant scene of the Grand Canal offers a view from a similar angle in both paintings.  Ralph Toledano previously confirmed the present picture's attribution and brilliance as well. He marveled at the rich color schemes and characteristic impastos of the canvas and similarly dated the picture to the same period as the Raleigh work.  Toledano regards the figures in this painting as by Marieschi himself, unlike the figures in the Raleigh picture, which he suggests recall those of Gian Antonio Guardi.  Alternatively, Succi relates the figure style in the present painting as closer to Gaspare Diziani.