Francesco Guardi

Sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 10 June 1908, lot 59;
Sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 14 November 1919, lot 20;
Sale, Paris, Etude Tajan 3 April 1998, Lot 91;
with Colnaghi, London 1998;
with Richard Green, London 1999;
Private European collection.

 

Window mounted. Light scattered foxing across the upper section of the sheet. There are a number of light brown/gray stains - the largest a circular stain in the upper left corner and another smaller one in the center at the upper margin. There are what appear to be studio stains on the verso where there are dashes of oil and brush marks. The medium remains strong and vibrant and overall image still powerful.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This quintessential Venetian view by Francesco Guardi, showing the Ponte di Rialto and the Riva del Vin, is the only currently known drawing of this view signed by the artist.  The composition is enclosed within freely drawn framing lines, in pen and ink, surely suggesting this finished sheet was intended to be a work of art in its own right.  The subtle use of the pen and ink, skilfully defining the complex architectural setting, is embellished and enriched by the vibrant use of wash.  The same view of the Grand Canal can be seen in a slightly smaller painting, on panel, in a private collection, Geneva (fig. 1).  The present drawing shares with the above panel a similar staffage, see for instance the cargo vessels on the Riva del Vin to the left, with their highly decorative wide sails, the latter a wonderful touch to animate and contrast with the rest of the composition.  Neither of the other two known drawings depicting the Rialto bridge from a similar viewpoint, one of which is in the Musée Départemental des Vosges and the other in the Musée du Petit Palais, Paris,¹ is comparable in quality with the present sheet; indeed, Morassi suggested the intervention of Giacomo could be detected in the first, and described the second as 'piuttosto debole'.  

When the present drawing first came to light in 1998, Dario Succi proposed a late dating of circa 1780.²

1.  A. Morassi, Guardi Tutti i Disegni di Antonio, Francesco e Giacomo Guardi, Venice 1975, nos. 366 and 368, reproduced figs. 366, 367
2.  Succi also noted, according to the 1998 sale catalogue, that the other versions in the Musée du Petit Palais, Paris, and the Musée Départemental des Vosges are, in his opinion, entirely the work of Giacomo Guardi