Francesco Guardi

With Leonard Koetser, London;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 2 April 1975, lot 30;
J.M. Askew, 1976;
With The Leger Gallery, London, 1978;
From whom purchased by the present owner.

London, Leonard Koetser, Autumn Exhibition, 1964;
London, The Leger Gallery, Exhibition of Old Master Paintings, 1986.

A. Morassi, Francesco Guardi, Venice 1973, vol. I, pp. 243 and 398, cat. no. 466, vol. II, reproduced fig. 472;
L. Rossi Bortolatto, L'opera completa di Francesco Guardi, Milan 1974, pp. 101–02, cat. no. 211, reproduced.
A. Morassi, Francesco Guardi, Venice 1993, vol. I, pp. 243 and 398, cat. no. 466, vol. II, reproduced fig. 472.

The following condition report is provided by Sarah Walden who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: Francesco Guardi. Venice . View of Santa Maria della Salute. This painting has an old stretcher and a lining probably from the nineteenth century. The present restoration could date from the 1970's, but it was clearly not the first. The fragile final films of colour glazed by Guardi across his skies, have rarely survived, and his deeper shadows and subtle reflections in the water have also been vulnerable. Here there are some areas of light in the upper sky, with characteristically grainy pigments which are well preserved, while other places have suffered patchily from past wear, with scattered retouchings visible under ultra violet light, mainly on the right of the sky but also up the left side. The sky appears to have some slightly raised flakes on the right side. The water has also become rather thin, with frequent little strengthening touches in various places, visible under UV, and a line of recently reinforced retouching just along the edge of the water in front of the Salute. In contrast to the darks, all the lights have remained vividly intact, the brilliant witty brushwork describing the figures with a few vivid touches and defining the finer details of the architecture. This exquisite play of glittering touches is finely preserved. This report was not done under laboratory conditions.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This depiction of Santa Maria della Salute is typical of Guardi's maturity and is considered by Morassi to be 'di fattura accurata e di luminosa intonazione cromatica'.¹ This view is one of a number of such depictions of the elegant church and of these variants the present example is closest to that in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, which shows the edifice at a very similar angle and distance.² In both works the Seminario Patriarcale and the Abbazia di San Gregorio flank the distinctive dome and scroll-shaped buttresses on the left and right respectively. The church itself, designed by Baldassare Longhena, was completed in 1687 and is considered a masterpiece of Baroque architecture. Standing on the narrow Punta della Dogana, between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, Santa Maria Salute has become an emblem of Venice.

Guardi characteristically emphasises his overall impression of the scene, from the criss-cross of boats in the canal to the effects of sunlight, water and open sky, all rendered with his highly individual brushwork, light palette and playful effects of atmosphere and colour.

1. Morassi 1993, vol. I, p. 398.

2. Morassi 1993, vol I, pp. 243 and 398, vol. II, reproduced cat. no. 471.