Vincenzo Chilone

With Frost & Reed Ltd.; London;
By whom sold to a private collector on August 30, 1966;
By whom anonymously sold ("Property of a New Orleans Collector"), New York, Sotheby's, 29 May 2003, lot 157;
There purchased by the present owner.

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 canvas was lined in Europe with glue. The paint layer is stable. At that time it was also cleaned and restored; however, it has become dirty and there is good reason to now clean the picture. The retouches which have been applied do not clearly show under ultraviolet light; however, in the buildings and in the foreground some retouches are visible, yet there is generally a very healthy paint layer. In the sky in the upper left corner there is a diagonal restoration running for approximately five inches and there are other isolated restorations in the left and center sky. These restorations are most likely over-exaggerated. This picture does not look its best at present yet in reality is in very respectable condition.
"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."

Throughout history, Venice has been plagued by high waters. The present painting depicts such an event. Here, the water has risen to a level so high that gondolas can easily float through the Piazza. Rather than finding these events annoying they were, in fact, a source of amusement for local Venetians. Boats and gondolas were even decorated with sollazzieri or types of decorative festoons as they were punted around the Piazza.

There were several acque alte during the early 19th century and clues in the present composition help the dating of this representation. The presence of the Byzantine horses that stand sentinel atop San Marco (removed by Napoleon in 1797, installed in the Carousel, Paris and finally returned to Venice by royal decree from Emperor Francis I of Austria) provide us with a terminus post quem of 1815. The Austrian flags that fly above the Piazza indicate that Venice was still under Austrian rule and provide a terminus ante quem of 1849 (the year the Austrians were expelled from Venice). However, other clues allow us a more precise dating of the event. The buildings at the left of the basilica are most telling. These were pulled down in January 1836 to erect the Palazzo Patriarcale. Therefore, there are enough elements to suggest that this event was the acqua alta of December 9, 1825. This flood was recorded in the Gazzetta Privilegiata di Venezia as having exceptionally high waters and was engraved by A. Lazzari. 

When last sold in 2003, Charles Beddington first suggested the attribution to Chilone. Dr. Lina Urban confirmed this attribution and furthermore, identified the composition as the flood of December 9, 1825.