Francesco Guardi

H.M. Clark, London, 1924;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Charpentier, 22 May 1933, lot 79, to Alexander for 58,000 francs;
Madame Lebel, Paris;
By whom sold ('Property of Madame L'), Paris, Charpentier, 24 June 1937, lot 27;
Fernand Adda (1890–1965), Paris and Cannes;
By whom sold, ('Collection d'une Grand Amateur'), Paris, Palais Galliera, 29 November 1965, lot 108;
Private collection, France;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Palais Galliera, 24 June 1968, lot 29;
Private collection, France;
Anonymous sale, Cannes, Appay-Gairoard-Besch, 22 December 1998, lot 1.

Weltkunst, 1 May 1968, p. 372 (advertisement);
A. Morassi, Guardi: I dipinti, Venice 1993, vol. I, p. 375, cat. no. 340.

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: The canvas is lined and is securely attached to a keyed wooden stretcher. The paint surface has an uneven varnish layer. There are a few scattered surface scratches. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows the painting to read unevenly and would appear to show fairly extensive retouchings, most notably within the sky. Overall the painting is in reasonably good condition. The work is framed.
"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."

This painting is a mature work by the artist, painted circa 1775–80, and described by Morassi as an ‘opera di buona qualità’. It depicts the Piazza San Marco looking towards the Basilica and the great Campanile, and was one of Guardi's most popular compositions. To fulfil the great demand from eighteenth-century Grand Tourists for this quintessential Venetian view, Guardi returned to it on numerous occasions, varying slightly the viewpoint, the different groupings of figures and the light. Morassi lists no fewer than twenty-eight variants of the Piazza San Marco looking east. In this version, Guardi depicted the piazza on a brilliant, sunny day with strong light coming from the left, casting the Procuratie Vecchie and the left side of the piazza in dramatic shadow. Typical of Guardi's late style is the careful use of black to delineate the architectural details, as can be seen on the Procuratie Nuove at right. A similar version to the present painting, also a late work, with some of the same figural groupings and shadow at left, was sold in Paris in 1991.¹

This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the work of Francesco Guardi being prepared by Dr Dario Succi.

1. View of the Piazza San Marco, oil on canvas, 71 by 95.5 cm.; Anonymous sale, Paris, Ader, Picard, Tajan, 9 April 1991, lot 45, sold for 3,700,000 francs.