Gaspar van Wittel, called Vanvitelli

Private collection, Spain.

The painting, signed in monogram, is less red in colour and cooler in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The panel is not marouflaged but has been shaved down a little and cradled in the not too distant past, most probably in the last 40 (?) years. The cradling was necessary to stabilise the restored horizontal split which runs all the way along the panel 7-9 cms from the upper edge. From the side the panel splits and subsequent restoration can be seen, as can the crude and possibly excessive overpaint that was applied along the split. The paint surface is stable but under a thick glossy varnish. To the naked eye the paint surface appears overall to be abraded and to have been significantly retouched, for example in the sky and foreground. Inspection under UV light reveals extensive small retouching in the water, in the dark tones under the bridge, in the darker colours lower right, around the figures lower right and the aforementioned wide restoration in the sky. Though they do not flouresce, the areas of green paint in the foreground and middle distance are likely not original and the result of a previous campaign of restoration. Offered in a later frame painted gold in fair condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Ponte Salario crosses the Aniene, a tributary of the Tiber, to the north of Rome and was originally built in the first century BCE. The structure seen in the present work was begun in the eighth century and extended in Medieval times under Pope Niccolò V before being largely demolished during the Napoleonic invasion of Italy. The bridge was engraved by Adriaen Manglard in 1753, as well as by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in circa 1760; a signed painting by Hendrick van Lint is also known.¹

This is the only recorded view of the Ponte Salario by the artist. We are grateful to Dottoressa Laura Laureati for endorsing the attribution on the basis of a transparency.

1. See A. Busiri Vici, Peter, Hendrick e Giacomo Van Lint, Rome 1987, p. 70, cat. no. 50, reproduced p. 71, fig. 50.