Master of the Langmatt Foundation Views

This serene and elegant riverscape was painted circa 1750 by the Master of the Langmatt Foundation Views (so-named for a group of Venetian vedute in the Langmatt Foundation, Baden). An artist active in Venice in the second quarter of the eighteenth century, he rendered the scene, illustrating the River Brenta, an important conduit between Venice and Padua, with a theatrical sense of perspective. The wide-angle of the foreground, encompassing both riverbanks, expands the composition’s scope, while the topographical tightening around the vanishing point imbues the scene with dramatic depth.

On the far side of the Brenta stand two impressive estates: the Villa Capello, at left, beyond which the Villa Pisani rises in the distance. Set amid a lush garden, the magnificent 114-room villa, commissioned by Doge Alvise Pisani (1664-1741), was populated with paintings by the leading Venetian painters of the day. In addition to having a ballroom decorated with frescos by Giambattista Tiepolo, the palatial home was decorated with works by Jacopo Amigoni and Sebastiano Ricci, among others.

We are grateful to Professor Dario Succi for confirming the attribution to the Master of the Langmatt Foundation Views, whom Succi has identified as Apollonio Domenichini (1715-1757).