Giuseppe Bernardino Bison

Tito Miotti (bears his collector's mark lower right)

On verso bears old ink inscription “del…pinx Bissoni Milanese”. Overall condition good. Paper very slightly yellowed and with a little very light foxing. Small brown stain towards lower left from old hinge (still attached, verso). Other remains of old hinges / mounting papers down sides and in corners, verso. Paper surface a little uneven at edges. Image in catalogue much too red in tone.
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This is a very good example of a Bison capriccio and the use of wash a macchia is very characteristic.  Surely done for collectors and sold in the art market, this kind of drawing, together with his oils on paper, must have provided a good source of income for Bison.   He was a very prolific draftsman and his style shows a strong link with previous Venetian painters such as Canaletto, Guardi and Ricci.  It appears that Tito Miotti had a large collection of Bison's works on paper, possibly acquired from a single source.¹ 

 

1.  Tito Miotti is the author of a book on the collecting of drawings: Il collezionista di disegni, Udine 1962