Lot 88: Francesco Albotto (Venice 1721-1757)

The Grand Canal, Venice, at the Fondaco dei Turchi
oil on canvas
24 x 38 3/8 in. (61 x 97.5 cm.)
in a Régence carved and gilded frame

Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 5 July 1967, lot 80 as 'M. Marieschi', where purchased by the present owner.

We are grateful to Dr. Dario Succi for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs (private communication 8 March 1999). He notes that the picture is a typical work by the artist, dating it to circa 1748-50, and compares it with another picture of the same subject in a private collection, Milan (see D. Succi in the exhibition catalogue Marieschi, tra Canaletto e Guardi, Castello di Gorizia, June-October 1989, pp. 170-1, fig. 199). Another similar view by the artist is also in the Museo e Gallerie Nazionali di Capodimonte, Naples (ibid., fig. 198). This group of views ultimately derive from a composition by Michele Marieschi, Albotto's master, in a private collection, Milan (ibid., fig. 200).

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis