MICHELE MARIESCHI | An architectural capriccio with a river and a gothic temple

Anonymous sale, Christie's, New York, 24 January 2003, lot 168, where acquired by the present collector for $210,000.

D. Succi, Marieschi, opera completa, Pordenone 2016, p. 348, no. 158, reproduced in colour p. 347, fig. 158.

The presence of a high-arched building in the left foreground which dominates the rest of the design is a recurring feature in Marieschi's capricci, as is the timelessness of the buildings, which contrast with the animated figures spread throughout the scene. The arched cloud formation is also found in a capriccio sold in these Rooms, 7 July 2010, lot 46, for £150,000 (fig. 1). The small gothic temple in the centre appears in another capriccio formerly with Galerie Ribolzi.¹ At the time of the 2003 sale, Succi dated the present work to 1736–37.

¹ Succi 2016, pp. 372–73, cat. no. 189, reproduced in colour.