Sebastiano Ricci Belluno 1659-1734 Venice and Marco Ricci

Oil on canvas

Ing. Giuseppe Gatti-Casazza (1870-1947), Venice;
In the collection of the late owner by 1963;
Thence by descent.

Bassano del Grappa, Palazzo Sturm, Marco Ricci, 1963, no.63;
Venice, Palazzo Ducale, I vedutisti veneziani del Settecento, 1967, no. 9.

G. de Logu, Pittori veneti minori del Settecento, Venice, 1930, p. 94;
U. Thieme and F. Becker, Allgemeines Lexicon......., Leipzig, 1934, p. 249;
R. Pallucchini, Trésors de l'Art Venetien, Lausanne, 1947, p. 92;
R. Pallucchini, 'Studi Ricceschi: contributo a Marco', in Arte Veneta, ix, 1955, p. 194;
G.M. Pilo, catalogue of the exhibition, Marco Ricci, Venice, 1963, p. 90, no. 63;
F. Valcanover, 'La mostra di Marco Ricci a Bassano', Arte Veneta, xvii, 1963, p. 238;
E. Martini, La pittura veneziana del Settecento, Venice, 1964, p. 47;
P. Zampetti, I vedutisti veneziani del Settecento, Venice, 1967, p. 66;
F.R. Shapley, Paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, London and New York, 1973, pp. 130-131;
J. Daniels, Sebastiano Ricci, Hove, 1976, p.94, no. 328;
J. Daniels, L'opera completa di Sebastiano Ricci, Milan, 1976, p.141, no. 612;
A. Delneri, 'Marco Ricci', in Capricci veneziani del Settecento, Turin, 1988, p. 154;
A. Scarpa Sonino, Marco Ricci, Milan, 1991, p.124, no. 42, reproduced figs. 331 and 332;
A. Scarpa Sonino, Sebastiano Ricci, Milan, 2006, p. 201, cat. no. 165, reproduced figs. 559 and 560.

The canvas has been given a fairly recent stretcher and re-lining, which is still sound but losing a little tension. The painting itself is dirty and covered witha thick layer of discoloured old varnish. The paint suface itself is in remarkably good condition for a picture of this date and size, with little or no wear in evidence and much original impasto preserved. There are a number of discoloured old repaired damages which are visible. The largest of these are two areas of 6 by 6 cm and 2 by 15 cm in the clouds in the centre of the painting; there is another group to the right of the statue atop the ruins upper left, the largest of which is a vertical repair measuring 2 by 10 cm; there is a 12 cm C shaped old scratch running through the figures in the centre foreground. In additon to the these there are various other scattered local damages throughout parts of the picture, all of which are minor in nature. The largest concentrations of these are to be found in the centre of the sky just above the horizon and along the upper and lower margins. This lot is offered in a plain wood frame, painted white and drilled with fixing holes for attachment to a wall.
"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."

Typically for these collaborations, the architectural elements are by Marco Ricci and the figures the work of his uncle Sebastiano. Daniels however, doubts the participation of Sebastiano and suggests the figures may be by Marco alone. Scarpa Sonino does not exclude such a collaboration, but limits Sebastiano's contribution to only a few of the central foreground figures. She suggests that this is a late work by Ricci, very comparable to a Capriccio at Windsor Castle, which is signed and dated 1729, and in which the temple on the left hand side of the painting appears again, in slightly more ruined form.¹ On account of their very similar size and the similarities in the disposition of the figures, this and a very similar Capriccio in the Museo Civico in Vicenza  - one of Ricci's most famous works in this style - have long been thought to be pendants, although there is no documentary evidence to suggest this. The Vicenza painting is generally thought to be a little earlier in date, probably from the mid 1720s, and is generally accepted as a collaborative work between Sebastiano and Marco Ricci.

1. Scarpa Sonino,op. cit. p.124 and ibid fig. 344. 
2.  205 by 274 cm. Ibid. p. 136, no. 109, reproduced fig. 329 and exhibited Belluno, Museo Civico, Marco Ricci e il paesaggio veneto del Settecento, 1993, no. 36.