MASTER OF THE LANGMATT FOUNDATION VIEWS, OFTEN IDENTIFIED AS APOLLONIO DOMENICHINI | VENICE, A VIEW OF THE PIAZZA SAN MARCO LOOKING EAST TOWARDS THE BASILICA AND THE CAMPANILE; AND VENICE, A VIEW OF THE BACINO DI SAN MARCO ON ASCENSION DAY

This pair of Venetian vedute by the painter sometimes identified as Apollonio Domenichini but more commonly known as the Master of the Langmatt Foundation Views, depicts some of the city's most famous landmarks. Piazza San Marco, with the Basilica di San Marco and the famous Campanile, offers a quintessential view of the city, enlivened in the foreground by the inclusion of masked figures. The pendant records the Bacino on the occasion of Venice’s principal annual ceremony, the Wedding of the Sea (Sposalizio del Mar), held on Ascension Day. The Bucintoro, the ceremonial vessel used for the festival, is visible on the right, and moored beside it, oars raised, is the fusta, the Doge’s single-masted galleon. The marquee erected in the Piazzetta for the Ascension Day market conveys the bustle of the scene. A larger version of this pair was sold London, Christie’s, 7 July 2000, lot 82 (73 x 97.5 cm.).