Jacopo Fabris

R. Pallucchini, "Appunti per il vedutismo veneziano del Settecento," in Muzeum i twórka. Studia z historii sztuki i kultury ku czci prof. dr. Stanislawa Lorentza, Warsaw 1969, pp. 141-155;
R. Pallucchini, La pittura nel Veneto. Il Settecento, Milan 1996, vol. II, p. 301, cat. no. 456, reproduced p. 301, fig. 456;
G. Sestieri, Il capriccio architettonico in Italia nel secolo XVII e XVIII, Rome 2015, vol. II, pp. 30, 31, 33, reproduced p. 30, fig. 1.

The painting is in good condition overall, presenting a clear image with good retention of detail beneath a clean varnish. The painting requires no immediate work and is ready to hang in its present state. The canvas has an old glue relining and the paint surface is clean and stable with some minor frame abrasion along the upper edge. Inspection under UV is impeded somewhat by a milky varnish but reveals three thin conjoined lines of restoration possibly to address an old scratch or tear in the right side of the central columned structure and an area of restoration, approx. 1/2 by 3 in., in the sky above it. The is some fine inpainting in the sky to address craquelure and to the right edge to address frame abrasion. There is some minor strengthening in the architecture at left and an area of overpaint in the lower left corner. Offered in a carved gilt wood frame with some knocks and losses.
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.

Rodolfo Pallucchini first published this idealized view of Roman ruins in 1969 (see Literature) and on the basis of this signed work was able to restore to Jacopo Fabris' oeuvre a similarly romanticized view of the Forum, in the Museo Civico, Padua.¹ The distinctly scenographic style of both this and the Padua painting show Jacopo Fabris' admiration for the early output of Canaletto as a set designer. The monuments are arranged frontally or sideways as though in a stage backdrop, the columns cast stark, dramatic shadows and the foreground is more heavily populated with figures, as though to liven the scene.²

We are grateful to Charles Beddington for endorsing the attribution on the basis of digital images.

1. For the Padua view see R. Pallucchini, 1996, under Literature, p. 301, repoduced fig. 455.
2. R. Pallucchini, 1996, under Literature.