Gaspar van Wittel, called Vanvitelli

Anonymous sale, New York, Christie's, 29 January 1998, lot 27;
With Colnaghi, London;
From whom acquired by the present collector.

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 work has a 20th century glue lining. Under ultraviolet light, one can only see a few tiny dots of retouching in the sky. There is a group of retouches in the river in the lower center which extends to the lower right. There is a retouch at the top in the middle of the three pines. The retouching is well applied, and the painting 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."

This is one of only a handful of variants of this view of Florence, for which a detailed topographical drawing is in the Palazzo Reale in Caserta. The precision of the drawing attests to the artist having visited the city but the precise details of his sojourn are unknown. None of the known versions are dated, but all must have been executed after 1702, the year in which the cupola of San Frediano in Cestello, pictured to the right, was completed.