Félix Ziem

Madison Avenue Gallery, New York
Mildred Anna Williams (1873-1939)
Gifted to California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco (de-accessioned, sale: Christie's, New York, 12 October 1993, lot 19)
Sale: Picard Scp., Paris, 22 June 1994, lot 18

Pierre Miquel, Félix Ziem 1821-1911, Maurs-la-Jolie, 1978, vol. VIII, p. 220, no. 1608, illustrated
Anne Burdin-Hellebranth, Félix Ziem, 1821-1911, 1998, vol. I, p. 74, no. 192, illustrated

Painted circa 1875 the present work is an impressive view of Le Bucentaure in the Venice lagoon. It was once in the possession of Mildred Anna Williams, who with her husband, amassed an impressive collection of 17^th century Dutch and Flemish paintings, 18^th century English masters, bronzes, tapestries and period furniture. Mildred Anna was the daughter of John McQuillan, a marine engineer from California. She had a difficult childhood and supported herself through her first marriage and as a result her philanthropy extended to helping girls and young women, notably a fund to benefit St. Mary’s Hospital in Queens for chronically ill children. Mr and Mrs Williams gifted their art, including Le Bucentaure quittant le bassin, to the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, a museum their friend Mrs Adolph Spreckels had founded in San Francisco.