Francesco Guardi

Private collection, England, by the 1920s;

Thence by descent;

By whom sold, anonymous sale ("The Property of a Gentleman"), London, Christie's, 21 April 1989, lot 97;

With Richard Green, London;

From whom acquired by Hans and Marion König, 1988.

D. Succi, Guardi, Catalogo dei Dipinti e Disdegni Inediti, Milan 2021, p. 100, cat. no. 132, reproduced.

This charming and atmospheric View of San Giorgio Maggiore was painted by Guardi late in his career. The dramatic setting of the church allowed him the opportunity to depict it on an intimate scale, such as in the present work, or as part of more sweeping views across the Bacino, towards the Giudecca and beyond. Succi (see literature), notes that the present example is painted in “prevalenti tonalità azzurrine e argentee,” and dates it circa 1790, thus making it likely amongst the last images of San Giorgio painted by the artist. Interestingly, Guardi retains the distinctive onion-domed campanile built by Giovanni Scalfarrotto in 1729, which had collapsed years before in 1774. The replacement tower with its conical peak—still standing today—was finished in 1791, so just around the time the present work was painted.