Marco Ricci

Private collection, New York, by the mid-1950s (as by Francesco Zuccarelli);
Acquired by the present owner in New York in 1994.

The painting has a relatively new and firm relining that has slightly flattened the paint surface. The paint surface is stable and secure. Many of the painterly details in the foliage and architecture are well preserved. There are 3 old tears that have been restored. The first, in the water to the right, below the boat is in the shape of an E and is contained within an area measuring approximately 7cm squared. The second is L shaped, above the 2nd and 3rd arches measuring 4cm by 5cm. The third is a 4cm horizontal tear in the upper left tree tops. There is also an another area of damage of similar size at the upper right edge of the painting. These areas have been sensitively restored but are visible to the naked eye. Inspection under UV light reveals a campaign of scattered retouchings that are mainly focused on minimalising the craquelure and touching out areas of wear throughout the sky and trees, quite heavily so in the upper left corner. This lot is offered in an elaborate gold frame in good 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."

This landscape was almost certainly painted by Marco Ricci in England, where he was based from 1708–1710 and again from the winter of 1711/12–1716. The dome of the building in the background appears to be a capriccio but is reminiscent of a number of domes that were constructed in England at this time including Wren’s domes of the Naval Hospital, Greenwich (completed in 1708) and Saint Paul’s Cathedral (completed in 1710), and Vanburgh’s at Castle Howard (circa 1710/11).

A related drawing of A Capriccio with Ruins, datable to the 1710s, now at the Royal Library, Windsor, includes a freely sketched image of the same domed building.¹ This and other elements of the present work such as the bridge, the domed church and the gateway, also feature in a pen and wash Landscape with a View of a City and River, in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, which shows an almost identical scene from a different point along the river bank.²

1. Inv. no. 5859; See A. Blunt and E. Croft-Murray, Venetian Drawings of the XVII & XVIII Centuries in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle, London 1957, p. 34; A. Scarpa Sonino, Marco Ricci, Milan 1991, reproduced p. 221, fig. 86.
2. See U. Ruggeri, Disegni veneti dell'Ambrosiana, Vicenza 1979, p. 48, cat. no. 71, reproduced fig. 71.