Théodore GUDIN (Paris, 1802 - Boulogne-sur-Seine, 1880) The Grand Canal and the Doge's Palace Preparatory study for the 1834 Salon painting Oil on paper mounted on canvas 37.6 x 54.3 cm Inscribed in black pencil top left: 5 Venise At top left, an old label bearing the number 270 On reverse, on canvas, stencilled inscription: T GUDIN / 270 Verso, on the crossbar of the stretcher, inscription in black pencil: n° 23. Gudin. Italy / Alcove Related works: - Vue de Venise, le départ pour la fête du Lido, oil on canvas, 1.04 x 1.53 m, Salon de 1834 ; - Le grand canal de Venise animé, 1834, oil on canvas, 106 x 152, Vanderkindere sale, Brussels, November 21, 2000, lot 46; Famous for his romantic landscapes, Gudin became official painter to the French Navy in 1830. After contracting cholera in 1832, the painter left for Italy via Switzerland. Arriving in Venice, he was fascinated by the view from his hotel window. It was here that he settled for a few days to make studies for his major Salon painting of 1834, Le départ pour la fête du Lido (sale Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Massol, March 8, 2006, lot 9).