Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto

Eugène Schneider (1805-1875), Paris,
his sale, Paris, Pillet & Escribe, 3 - 4 April 1876, lot 60, 900 francs, to Charles-Théodore Sauvageot (1826-1883);
from whom acquired by an ancestor of the present owner

Overall condition is generally good and fresh . A small number of very light brown stains towards the top edge, and to the right and left of the church, upper part. Brown ink very slightly sunk in one or two spots, towards bottom, but otherwise in very good, fresh condition, as is grey wash. Some very light vertical wrinkles in centre of sheet, visible only in sky, resulting from the drying of the sheet during the paper-making process. Remains of old mounting strip adhering to edges, verso. Sold unframed but exhibited in an original Venetian frame (the frame is available to purchase from Gino Franchi for £2600).
"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."

This very impressive drawing of one of Venice's most picturesque and -- as the historic centre of the city's banking industry -- most influential squares has only recently come to light.  It is an important addition to the previously known versions, painted, drawn and etched, of this famous view, which Canaletto made at different points in his career.  Here the façade of the church of San Giacomo is immediately opposite the viewer.  On the right is a long view of the Ruga degli Orefici, with the shops selling gold and silver below the loggiato, leading to the Rialto bridge.  Beyond the Grand Canal, to the right, is the spire of San Bartolomeo which was demolished in 1747 and replaced in 1754 by the onion-shaped campanile still in situ.

In the Campo, lit from the right, a number of street sellers and people crowd the paved space.  The Campo, historically the centre of the Venetian banking industry, was not paved until 1758, which provides a terminus post quem for the execution of the present view. The subtle and skilful treatment of the architectural setting, drawn, as in many of Canaletto's works, in pen and brown ink over numerous ruled chalk lines, is enlivened by the many figures performing their daily activities around the market. The rich and vibrant use of two shades of grey wash, to emphasize the strong light and shade, covers the majority of the surface, resulting in the unique vitality and virtuoso execution found only in the very best drawings by the artist.

Two paintings of the same subject are known: one in the Staatliche Gemäldegalerie, Dresden, the other in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.¹  The present drawing differs in composition from both paintings.  It has the same long view to the right of the Ruga degli Orefici as in the Dresden painting, but omits the open drain in the pavement of the Campo; the proportions of the church of San Giacomo and its four-columned portico are instead the same as in the Ottawa version. The arrangement of the figures differs from both the painted versions.  The Dresden canvas is thought to have been painted around 1730, much earlier than the Ottawa one, the date of which is still debated, though it may well have been executed shortly before Canaletto left for England, in 1746. 

A related drawing, formerly in Count Seilern's collection, is in the Courtauld Institute, London, and an identical but coarser replica of that drawing is in the Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin.²  Slightly larger than the present work, the Courtauld drawing incorporates a margin below the view with an inscription, in pen and brown ink, in Canaletto's hand: 'Piazza di S. Giaccomo di Rialto in Venezia, con parte del famoso Ponte in distanza, Versso S. Bartolom^eo.', and Antonio Canal del.  It has been dated by Constable and Links to 1758, or a few years later, on stylistic grounds.  When compared to the present drawing there are many differences both in the architecture and the staffage.  The Courtauld sheet includes more of the building to the left, with a tent and several figures below, and much less of the Ruga degli Orefici to the right.  The church portico has more columns, while the façade includes two semicircular windows flanking the large central one.  These two openings, still visible today, do not appear in our drawing, suggesting that it predates the Courtauld one.  Constable and Links believe the Courtauld drawing must have been made in preparation for an engraving, taking into account both the inscriptions and the high level of finish.  The only engraving of Campo of San Giacomo di Rialto, known in two impressions, one of which was made after the death of Canaletto, is a capriccio³ and it is unrelated to any of the known painted or drawn versions.  Our drawing, although very finished, is much more pictorial than the Courtauld one, especially in the use of the grey wash, and it could have been executed as a work in its own right.
 
The present drawing was in the collection of the landscape and genre painter Charles-Théodore Sauvageot, who acquired it at the 1876 Schneider sale in Paris - the last occasion when this splendid sheet was on the market.

1. W. G. Constable revised by J. G. Links, Canaletto, Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697-1768, Oxford 1976, vol. II, pp. 335-336, nos. 297-298, both reproduced vol. I, pl. 57

2. London, Courtauld Institute, inv. no. D.1978.PG.132; Constable-Links, op. cit., vol. II, p. 517, no. 611, reproduced vol. I, pl. 112; and Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, inv. no. KdZ 4180, A. Bettagno, Canaletto, Disegni-Dipinti-Incisioni, exhib. cat., Venice, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, 1982, p. 40, no. 19, reproduced

3. A. Bettagno, op. cit., p. 101, nos. 169-170, both reproduced