Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix

executed in watercolour, showing the houses, vines, trees, lake, facing the shore-line near Bellagio and the mountains in the background, a detailed and finished painting with highlighting in white, and remains of pencil sketching also visible

c.18 x 24cm (visible area), framed and glazed (overall size: c.33 x 38.5cm), June 1837

This painting derives directly from the family of Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny Hensel.

P. Ward Jones, editor, The Mendelssohns on Honeymoon: the 1837 diary of Felix and Cécile Mendelssohn Bartholdy (Oxford 1997)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This is a Mendelssohn discovery. Whilst Mendelssohn's original 1831 drawing of Cadenabbia exists in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, this finely finished painting was until recently unknown. It was suspected that, as frequently, he later developed the 1831 sketch into a painting, since his wife Cecile reported in their honeymoon diary for 23 June 1837, that she had found Felix hard at work on a painting of Cadenabbia. Peter Ward Jones explains in his edition of the diary, “Felix had done a pencil drawing of Cadenabbia (on Lake Como), on 22 July 1831 during his stay in Italy, and was presumably now producing a watercolour version of it – a common practice of his. The whereabouts of the watercolour is not known, but the original pencil drawing is in the Bodleian Library (MS MDM d. 3, fol. 23).” We are grateful to Peter Ward Jones for his advice and assistance in our description of this lot.