Attributed to Bernardo Bellotto

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work has been restored. Cleaning is not advised, and it is recommended that the work be hung in its current state. The canvas has been lined over the years, most recently using wax as an adhesive. As is so often the case, the work has suffered from abrasion during cleaning and the darker colors and profiles of the architecture and boats in the canal have suffered as a result. Retouches are clearly visible under ultraviolet light, particularly in the sky where the diligence of the restorer is on full view. There are fewer retouches in the architecture. Apart from what appears to be a small structural restoration in the canal in the center, the lower part of the painting is considerably better preserved. There is no question that the condition of this painting is challenging.
"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."

Stylistic comparison with other works of this period suggests a closer affinity to Bernardo Bellotto than to Canaletto. Based on comparison with the catalogue description and photograph from the important Leningrad Museum and Palace sale held at Lepke Auction House in Berlin in 1929, it seems probable that this is the same work that was deaccessioned by the Museum as an authentic work by Canaletto. Constable (see Literature) did not see this work firsthand, however on the basis of photographs believed it to be a school piece. The dimensions of the present work match exactly with those given in the Lepke catalogue, and despite a slight cropping of the edges in the Lepke catalogue illustration, there are no stylistic or compositional differences evident between the works. 

The present work repeats in composition a picture in the collection of the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, California, traditionally given to Canaletto (see W.G. Constable with J. Links, Canaletto; Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697-1768, London 1976, vol. II, p.239, cat. no. 109). The view is taken from a point opposite the Ponte della Paglia. To the left of the composition is the Zecca and the Library, with the Campanile seen in the distance. At the end of the Piazzetta is the east end of the Procuratie Vecchie and the Tore dell'Orologio. To the right of the center is the Ducal palace and beyond the Ponte della Paglia with the Bridge of Sighs in the shadow behind the Prison.