Giovanni Battista Piazzetta Venice 1682 - 1754

D. R. Nott;
P. & D. Colnaghi, 1951 (label still preserved on the backing of the frame);
Duncan Beresford-Jones Esq.;
sale, London, Christie's, 4 July 2000, lot 128

George Knox, G. B. Piazzetta, Disegni, Incisioni, Libri, Manoscritti, exhibition catalogue, Venice, Cini Foundation, 1983, under cat. no. 26;
idem, Piazzetta, exhibition catalogue, Washington, DC, National Gallery of Art, 1983-84, under cat. no. I;
idem, 18th Century Venetian Art in Canadian Collections, exhibition catalogue, Vancouver, Art Gallery and elsewhere, 1989, under cat. no. 52

Overall good condition paper slightly faded. Old mount cover about 6cm at the top and 2 or 3 around the edges. Paper originally slightly darker. Scattered foxing but chalk still fresh. Lines in the middle of the page from where the sheet was hung to dry.
"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."

At the time of the Christie's sale in 2000, Bernard Aikema confirmed the attribution to Piazzetta and suggested a dating of 1715-20, linking the present sheet with the drawings by Piazzetta in the Alverà collection, as had Knox.¹  This is one of a group of seven academies, all of the same size and media, which were sold to Colnaghi in 1951 by D.R. Nott and subsequently sold to various museums and private collectors.  Those now in public collections include sheets in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford², the Detroit Institute of Arts³, the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT (inv. no. 1951.226) and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.⁴

1. see Literature, Knox 1983

2. Knox, op.cit., 1983, no. 26

3. Knox, 1983-84, op.cit., no.1

4. Knox, 1989, op.cit., no. 52