Saint Mark’s Square, Venice, looking east,
oil on canvas, 55 x 71 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

The present painting is executed with a light hand which is stylistically very close to the work of Francesco Guardi, especially with the delicately rendered architectural structures and figures. The sky is filled with large, soft clouds that are highlighted by the reddish ground of the canvas.

The present work may be compared to a view of Campo San Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, with the equestrian monument to Colleen (68.2 x 98.5 cm) sold at Christie’s, New York on 25 May 2005 (lot 226), as Nicolò Guardi. It appears to reveal the same stylistic and technical characteristics, all derived from Francesco Guardi: the dark-red ground used on the canvas, the skies with soft clouds and the atmosphere created with sensitivity, and the well-delineated figures. At times, these figures are repeated, most probably having been based on the same drawings. For instance, the central group containing two ladies and some gentlemen, one of whom wears a sword, appears in the view of the Grand Canal with the entrance to Canareggio (reproduced in D. Succi, Marieschi tra Canaletto e Guardi, exhibition catalogue (Gorizia Castle), Turin 1989, fig. 295).

Nicolò Guardi (1715–1786) was the youngest of the three Guardi brothers, and is documented in various archival sources as a painter from 1745, although it is not specified what genre he was involved in. He was a close collaborator in the family workshop until 12 January 1761, when a notarial deed separated his business from that of Francesco (Antonio, the eldest of the brothers, was already dead) (see L. Moretti, in: Francesco Guardi 1712-1793, exhibition catalogue, curated by A. Craievich, F. Pedrocco, Milan 2012, p.18). The few archival documents featuring his name present him as the most prosperous of the Guardi, suggesting a profitable business activity (F. Montecuccoli degli Erri, in: F. Pedrocco/F. Montecuccoli degli Erri, Antonio Guardi, Milan 1992, pp. 59-60). However, his artistic manner has not as yet been firmly identified and it is therefore only possible to make hypothetical attributions.

Provenance:
Private European collection

We are grateful to Bozena Anna Kowalczyk for suggesting the attribution.

The present painting is executed with a light hand which is stylistically very close to the work of Francesco Guardi, especially with the delicately rendered architectural structures and figures. The sky is filled with large, soft clouds that are highlighted by the reddish ground of the canvas.

The present work may be compared to a view of Campo San Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, with the equestrian monument to Colleen (68.2 x 98.5 cm) sold at Christie’s, New York on 25 May 2005 (lot 226), as Nicolò Guardi. It appears to reveal the same stylistic and technical characteristics, all derived from Francesco Guardi: the dark-red ground used on the canvas, the skies with soft clouds and the atmosphere created with sensitivity, and the well-delineated figures. At times, these figures are repeated, most probably having been based on the same drawings. For instance, the central group containing two ladies and some gentlemen, one of whom wears a sword, appears in the view of the Grand Canal with the entrance to Canareggio (reproduced in D. Succi, Marieschi tra Canaletto e Guardi, exhibition catalogue (Gorizia Castle), Turin 1989, fig. 295).

Nicolò Guardi (1715–1786) was the youngest of the three Guardi brothers, and is documented in various archival sources as a painter from 1745, although it is not specified what genre he was involved in. He was a close collaborator in the family workshop until 12 January 1761, when a notarial deed separated his business from that of Francesco (Antonio, the eldest of the brothers, was already dead) (see L. Moretti, in: Francesco Guardi 1712-1793, exhibition catalogue, curated by A. Craievich, F. Pedrocco, Milan 2012, p.18). The few archival documents featuring his name present him as the most prosperous of the Guardi, suggesting a profitable business activity (F. Montecuccoli degli Erri, in: F. Pedrocco/F. Montecuccoli degli Erri, Antonio Guardi, Milan 1992, pp. 59-60). However, his artistic manner has not as yet been firmly identified and it is therefore only possible to make hypothetical attributions.

We are grateful to Boźena Anna Kowalczyk for her help in cataloguing the present work.