- 78
Francesco Guardi
Description
- Francesco Guardi
- recto: mountain landscape with a bridge; verso: view of the piazza san marco towards s. geminiano
- Black chalk, pen and brown ink and brown wash (recto); red chalk (verso)
Provenance
his sale, Amsterdam, Frederick Müller & Co., 27 May 1913, lot 307, 6,700 francs, to Pierre Decourcelle;
sale of his collection, Paris, Christie's, 21 March 2002, lot 313, reproduced
Exhibited
Paris, Orangerie, Venise au XVIIIe siècle, 1971, no. 104
Literature
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
According to Antonio Morassi, this capriccio was most surely executed after Francesco's trip in the region of the Trentino in the autumn of 1778, where the Guardi family had a property in Val di Sole. The Guardis were originally from this area, but after his youth Francesco did not return to the Trentino until 1778. Morassi identifies other drawings related to this same trip and says that Guardi made sketches there which he used as the basis for subtle wash drawings executed in his studio.1 The red chalk sketch on the verso is a view of the Piazza San Marco looking towards San Geminiano, the church which was destroyed during the Napoleonic period. A similar view by Francesco, in pen and ink and wash, is in the Musée du Petit Palais, Paris.2 Among the painted versions of the subject, the one in the Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris, by both Francesco and his son Giacomo, is the closest to the present drawing.3
Pierre Decourcelle (1856-1926) was born into a family of writers and collectors. After beginning as a journalist, he became a famous popular playwright and novelist, and later embraced the cinema with equal enthusiasm. He was a passionate collector of prints and drawings of the 18th century and then of more modern works, especially Toulouse Lautrec. In 1911 he held a sale of his collection, but could not resist starting again, as can been seen by the date of this purchase. A small and very fine group of works from his collection remained together as a testament to his taste, and was sold in Paris in 2002.
1. For other studies made during this trip, see A. Morassi, op.cit., nos. 416-8, reproduced figs. 417 and 419 to 420a.
2. See Idem, no.328, reproduced fig. 331
3. See A. Morassi, Guardi: I dipinti, Milan 1973, vol. I, no. 348, reproduced vol. II, fig. 375