- 214
Bernardo Bellotto
Description
- Canaletto
- Venice, the Grand Canal looking north-east from the Chiesa degli Scalzi to the Cannaregio, with the campanile of San Geremia
- oil on canvas
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
Aspects of Bellotto’s early technique are evident in this painting: his limpid depiction of the clouds streaking across the blue sky, and the incised vertical lines, serving as guidelines marking out the facades along the canal and plotting the placement of the windows and their shadows cast onto the surface of the water. As one of Bellotto’s earliest views of Venice, this precocious work is an important addition to his œuvre.
1. Inv. no. AE2202; ink and brown wash over pencil, 23.1 by 37.7 cm.; see S. Kozakiewicz, Bernardo Bellotto, vol. II, London 1972, p. 19, cat. no. 17, reproduced p. 21, plate 17.
2. See M. Bleyel, Bernardo Bellotto genannt Canaletto. Zeichnungen aus dem Hessischen Landesmuseum Darmstadt, exhibition catalogue, Darmstadt 1981, vol. II, p. 18, cat. no. 17, reproduced p. 21, fig. 17.
3. W.G. Constable, Canaletto, Oxford 1962, vol. I, reproduced plate 52, fig. 260, vol. II, p. 318, cat. no. 260.