6611 - Guardi, Francesco

Guardi, Francesco View through the colonnade of the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. Brown pen and ink, traces of black chalk on blue paper; on the reverse: a small group of buildings in brown pen and ink, and a study of a figure and legs in black chalk. 25.5 x 19.8 cm. On the reverse, the export approval stamp from the Central Office for the Protection of Historical Monuments, Vienna. Signature illegible. In this wonderfully airy drawing, Francesco Guardi captures the view from the portico of the west facade of the Doge’s Palace toward the lagoon. The dome of San Giorgio is faintly visible through the archway. This view must have held a special appeal for Guardi, as he repeated and varied the motif on several occasions. Morassi mentions several paintings, including one formerly in the collection of the Earl of Normanton, as well as two closely related, pictorially executed drawings in private collections (Morassi 532 and 534), and a sketch-like version in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen (Inv. KKS18006, Morassi 533). Our drawing stands out from this group due to its immediate, spontaneous quality and the use of blue paper. Guardi captures all the essential details of the architectural veduta on the sheet with equal speed and brilliance. Yet this rapid pace in his drawing in no way prevents him from modulating the lines in a variety of ways. He outlines the contours in a broken staccato and renders the shadows in a fluid zigzag without lifting his pen. Guardi sketches the figures with the same spontaneous precision. Just a few expressive pen strokes suffice to lend recognizable substance to the seated group on the left by the wall and the man with a child on the right. It is unclear whether the composition marks the beginning of a design process and perhaps even represents the *prima idea* for this successful visual concept. The sketch fragments on the reverse side suggest that this is a study. Using apparently the same ink, Guardi drew there—over older figure studies in black chalk—the view through a suggested arch toward a group of buildings. There is no question, however, that this is not one of those drawings that Guardi produced—after his success had taken hold—as standalone works for wealthy collectors, drawings whose carefully calculated sketch-like quality was intended above all to demonstrate the artist’s virtuosity. Unconstrained and beholden only to himself, Guardi explores a corner of his city through drawing, thereby revealing himself as one of the undisputedly greatest painters of the Serenissima. Provenance: Collection of Dr. Gottfried Eissler (1862–1924), Vienna (Lugt 805b). Gustav Nebehay Art Gallery, Vienna (c. 1927). Probably the S. Moeller Collection, Budapest (cf. Morassi 1975). Edmond Lévy-Ditisheim (1896–1988), Basel. Passed down by inheritance to a private collection in Germany. Lit.: *Die Zeichnung*, Issue 1: Italian Hand Drawings of the 18th Century: from the collection of the Gustav Nebehay Art Gallery, with a foreword by Max J. Friedländer, Vienna, n.d. [ca. 1927], n.p., plate 8. Antonio Morassi: *Tutti i disegni di Antonio, Francesco e Giacomo Guardi*, Venice 1975, p. 171, likely under Cat. 534: “A pen drawing with the same subject (260 x 205 mm).” - Please request condition reports for the lots, as the condition is only indicated in the catalog in exceptional cases. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.