Giuseppe Bernardino Bison

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 30 January 1998, lots 296 and 297;
Giacomo Bizzini;
By whom sold, Milan, Porro & C., 25 February 2004, lot 49 (sold as a pair).

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 pair of pictures has been painted on very fine linen which has subsequently been mounted onto board. The board is flat and stable in both cases. The paintings are clean and varnished. Retouches are not identifiable under ultraviolet light, except possibly a few spots in the sky of the composition of the ladies bathing. The paintings are clearly in lovely and presentable condition and should be hung as is.
"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."

Bison was born in Palmanova and began his artistic training in Brescia.  By age fourteen, he had enrolled at the Venetian Academy where he studied with Antonio Maria Zanetti and Constantino Cedini.  Bison also worked with the decorative scene painter, Antonio Mauro and soon excelled as a scene painter, receiving commissions for theatrical stage designs as well as decorative schemes for villas in the Veneto, Treviso and Trieste.  His interest in theater design was encouraged by his friendship with the architect Gian Antonio Selva who designed the original La Fenice opera house in Venice.  Bison was also an accomplished easel painter, concentrating on Venetian vedute in the tradition of Guardi, Marieschi, Canaletto and Bellotto.

This charming pair of paintings depicts elegantly dressed figures in the foyer of La Fenice and a scene from the opera The Last Days of Pompeii by Giovanni Pacini, which had eleven performances at La Fenice, running from 14 January - 16 February 1832.  The set designs were by Francesco Bagnara who had a long association with La Fenice, designing sets continuously from 1821-1852.