Andrea Locatelli

The sky is a little bluer than as shown in the catalogue illustration. The canvas has been fairly recently relined and the painting quite recently cleaned and revarnished. The paint surface is in a good state of preservation overall. The is some retouching and restoration along each margin, some scattered retouchings in the clouds and in the large rock to the right of the waterfall. Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals some scattered strengthening to the foliage at the right. Sold with a carved and gilt wood frame, in good condition. AF*
"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."

One of the greatest landscape painters of the 18th century, Andrea Locatelli specialised in painting views of the Roman Campagna. Having first worked with his father Giovanni Francesco, Locatelli completed his training with the marine painter Bernardino Fergioni. Locatelli's earliest works consist mainly of architectural capricci of the ancient ruins of Rome, reminiscent in style of Giovanni Ghisolfi and Salvator Rosa and looking forward to Giovanni Paolo Panini, but he went on to concentrate in the genre for which he is best known today; idealised views of the countryside around Rome. These arcadian landscapes were in great demand amongst local and foreign patrons alike but Locatelli's slow pace of working, extended family and poor health, all contributed to the considerable financial difficulties he faced during his lifetime. He died in 1741, at a relatively young age, 'after a dissolute life, in poverty and unlamented, his widow renouncing all claim to an estate that was crippled with debts'.¹

1.  In the words of Olivier Michel, cited by E. Peters Bowron in Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia, Museum of Art, 16 March - 28 May 2000; Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, 25 June - 17 September 2000, p. 390.