Venetian School, mid 18th century

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work is generally in very good condition. It is expected for a large work from the 18th century to show a few losses, and there are some here, particularly along the bottom edge. There are slightly more concentrated areas of retouches in the lower sky and along the horizon in the center and on the left side. Elsewhere, the paint losses are small and isolated. The restoration and condition are generally very good, and the work should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This large and striking view of Venice was painted in the mid-18th century by an artist keenly aware of Luca Carlevarijs's work. Despite the evident similarities with Carlevarijs' style, particularly in the figures, his authorship can be excluded since the particular version of the bucintoro depicted (center left) was not gilded and launched until 1729, the year after Luca was struck by illness and left unable to paint. Moreover, the onion-shaped dome on the campanile of San Giorgio Maggiore in the distance center right, which was not erected until 1728 (and taken down in 1780), discounts Luca's paternity for the same reason.

The bucintoro was the state barge of the the Venetian doge. It was used every year on Ascension Day (the Festa della Sensa) up to 1797, the fall of the Venetian Republic, to take the doge out to the Adriatic to perform the Marriage of the Sea, the ceremony that symbolically wedded Venice to the sea. The bucintoro shown was the last and most impressive of the historic bucintori, making its maiden voyage in 1729 during the reign of Doge Alvise III Sebastiano Mocenigo. The ship was 35 meters long and more than 8 meters high.