Giuseppe Bernardino Bison

Sale, New York, Sotheby's, A Window on Venice: Eighteenth-Century Venetian Drawings from a European Private Collection, 10 January 1995, lot 13

Partially laid down. Re-workings by the artist at the right of the sheet and at the bottom, they include the dog and the women on the right with the fruit basket and the head of the donkey. The sheet is in good condition with colours vibrant and strong. A few tiny stains, barely visible.
"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."

The present sheet is a fascinating insight into the working methods employed by Giuseppe Bernardino Bison.  In this charming genre scene we can see several pentimenti where the artist has made changes to his own composition.  Here, the section with the dog and the right side of the composition with the young woman and the donkey have been re-worked. Bison has expertly and delicately cut and pasted parts of the drawing where he must have decided to alter his preliminary ideas.  This method can be seen in other drawings by the artist, in Two old men and a Moor,¹ where he has re-drawn and pasted the two central figures and in Two mounted cavaliers at the entrance to a city,² where the central section below the horse has been cut out and re-worked.

Bison was a prolific and skilful draughtsman who employed a variety of media to create very finished works on paper which he sold as works of art in their own right, not only to local collectors but to the many visitors who wanted memories of their Venetian trips.  He produced many attractive genre scenes using energetic pen and ink strokes, often combined with a colourful palette of washes, like the present sheet.  His long career spanned the last quarter of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th.

The pentimenti in the drawing add to its importance in understanding Bison’s artistic techniques and provide an insight into his character, highlighting the precision and efforts that went into creating his drawings.  The inclusion of watercolour enhances the overall composition and serves to unite the arrangement of figures. 

^1. Sale, Milan, Sotheby’s, 12 June 2006, lot 102

^2. Sale, London Sotheby’s, 12 July 1972, lot 41