Sir Winston Churchill, K.G., O.M., F.R.S., HON. R.A.

The Artist, by whom gifted to Charles Graham Dixon, and thence by descent
Their sale, Christie's London, 7th November 1991, lot 49, where acquired by the present owner

David Coombs, Churchill: His Paintings, Hamish Hamilton, London, 1967, cat. no.439, illustrated p.244;
David Coombs and Minnie Churchill, Sir Winston Churchill's Life Through his Paintings, Chaucer Press, London, 2003, cat. no.C439, illustrated p.226;
David Coombs and Minnie S. Churchill, Sir Winston Churchill His Life and His Paintings, Ware House Publishing, Lyme Regis, 2011, cat. no.C439, illustrated p.226.

The work has a flour paste lining which was most probably applied in the late 1950s or early 1960s. This lining is stable and has not affected the impasto of the original paint surface. On close examination it is possible to see two areas of discoloured restoration which was most probably applied at the same time at the lining. The first of these is at the lower right of the composition and the second is to the centre right of the composition in the arch above the window on the second floor of the Scuola di San Marco. There is some slight rubbing to the edges of the canvas apparent along the lower horizontal and left vertical edges. There are some extremely minor lines of reticulation apparent to the central door and arch of the building, and a very fine line of craquelure to the yellow pigment to the left above the central arch. Subject to the above, the work appears to be in good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals very soft florescence which correspond with the aforementioned areas of old retouching. The work is presented in an ornate gilt frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

We are grateful to David Coombs for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

Churchill had a strong affinity with Venice. He first visited in 1906 as part of his two-month tour of Europe and returned in 1908 for his honeymoon, writing during the visit: ‘We have loitered and loved’ (quoted in Martin Gilbert, Churchill: A Life, William Heinemann Ltd, London, p.200). In 1927, after Clementine was injured in a traffic accident, it was to Venice that the couple turned as the perfect location to recuperate. The present work was painted in 1951, when Churchill, then aged 77, took his family down to the Lido after a holiday in Annecy which was cut short due to the poor weather. Churchill packed up the family and took them to the warmer climate of Venice. The family stayed at the Excelsior-Palace and his daughter Mary described how Churchill would spend the morning working on his memoirs and in the afternoons he would indulge in his favourite pastimes of swimming in the Lido and painting. She described how he would set off by motor launch in search of new painting locations: ‘The grandees of Venetian society put themselves out to be agreeable and friendly: balconies were proffered from which to paint, dinner parties given in Winston and Clementine’s honour in glorious palazzi, and expeditions to the outer islands organised’ (Mary Soames, Winston Churchill, His Life as a Painter, William Collins Sons & Co., London, 1990, p.180). 

In this work Churchill has discovered the magnificent Scuola Grande di San Marco, founded in 1261. After a fire in 1485, it was rebuilt according to a new design by Pietro Lombardo, a leading renaissance architect. Churchill captures the opulence of the building with its façade delicately decorated with pilasters, arches and niches. The white marble statues, standing as sentinels on top of the domed niches, glint in the sunlight whilst the recumbent lions in the windows stare proudly over the square. This splendid building basks in the glory of the rays of the bright Mediterranean sun, looking on to the busy square of Campo San Giovanni e Paolo. Churchill delighted in the effects of sunlight on his views, commenting: ‘Every country where the sun shines and every district in it, has a theme of its own … the painter wanders and loiters contentedly from place to place, always on the look-out for some brilliant butterfly of a picture which can be caught and set up and carried safely home’ (Churchill, Painting as a Pastime, quoted in Coombs and Churchill, 2011, op. cit., p.86). Churchill is not only interested in the architecture of this great building, he is also drawn to the atmosphere of Venice at this busy time of year. People appear rarely in his work and yet in this composition, Churchill has included a jolly crowd of revellers dressed in colourful gowns accompanied by men in festive black tie. Mary mentions that the Lido had a film festival that August and it felt extremely busy, and certainly the painting reflects this (ibid., p.86). It certainly was a busy year for Churchill; on his return to England, he received a letter from Clement Attlee announcing a General Election and, after a successful campaign, he was elected Prime Minister for a second time in October 1951.

This work was previously owned by Charles Graham Dixon who was a leading tax barrister consulted by Churchill’s lawyers regarding the tax implications surrounding the publishing of his memoirs. Another work of Venice, painted during this trip and titled The Grand Canal in Venice, was presented by Clementine to the Palace of Westminster after Churchill’s death in 1965.