FÉLIX ZIEM | Venice, Sunrise over Bacino di San Marco

Lined. The surface presents well and the colors remain vibrant. There are minor horizontal scuffs parallel to the upper edge in the sky. Under UV: old varnish fluoresces green along the left lower edge and along the lower edge. Evidence of old brushy retouching along the left and right upper edges in the sky. There is a dashed horizontal line of inpainting in the sky running parallel to the upper edge probably to address aforementioned scuffs.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Félix Ziem was the painter of Venice par excellence. In Venice, Sunrise over Bacino di San Marco, Ziem has positioned the viewer on the Molo, evidenced by the piers at lower right and the quickly rendered dock workers on a wharf at left, a favorite vantage point of the master of vedute painting, Canaletto. Looking across the Grand Canal at the ebb and flow of gondolas, his view is bathed in the golden light of sunrise. With characteristic gusto and a careful understanding of the effects of sunlight, Ziem reflects the iridescent light off of the water to brighten the rising clouds and pink granite of the Palazzo Ducale.  Though he was based in Montmartre from 1860, he often spent several months of the year in the floating city and visited Venice more than twenty times between 1845 and 1892. Ziem sought to express the poetic quality of his subject, to transform it into a dream-like vision. He was a regular exhibitor at the Paris Salon, and the first artist whose works entered the Musée du Louvre during his own lifetime. 



We would like to thank the Association Félix Ziem represented by Mathias Ary Jan, Davis Pluskwa and Gérard Fabre for kindly confirming the authenticity of this work.