Lot 17: Ludwig PassiniAustrian, 1832-1903

signed, inscribed and dated LUDWIG.PASSINI.VENEZIA.1873.74 l.r. watercolour on paper laid on board

77.5 by 138.5cm., 30½ by 54½in.

Berlin, Akademische Kunstausstellung , 1874
Paris, Exposition Universelle , 1878

Friedrich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, vol. II, Dresden, 1901, p. 223, no. 44
Meyers Lexikon, vol. IX, Leipzig 1928, p. 444, mentioned

Gambart's Gallery, London
L. von Oelbermann, Cologne (sale: Lempertz, Cologne, 11 December 1929, lot 54)
Purchased at the above sale by the grandfather of the present owner; thence by descent

Ludwig Passini studied at the academy of fine art in Vienna before travelling to Italy. In 1855 he settled in Rome, and from 1864 onwards he spend part of the year in Berlin, and part of the year in Italy. Passini is mostly known for his Italian and notably his Venetian genre paintings, typically executed in watercolours. His technical accomplishment and virtuosity, his fine and accurate treatment of figures and indeed his special skill in rendering people and postures, as evident in the present work, brought him acclaim in his day.

Painted in 1873-74, Procession along the Riva della Schiavoni, Venice has all the hallmarks of Passini's most accomplished works, and indeed, Meyer's Lexikon singles the picture out as one of his chef d'oeuvres. Depicting a multitude of local people watching a religious procession pass along the festively decorated Riva delle Schivoni on a bright summer's day, the painting captures the joie de vivre and the picturesqueness that many visitors associated with Venice.

The popularity of Venice views in Passini's day was rooted in the Grand Tour phenomenon which had begun over a century earlier. Wealthy young men from Britain, Germany and other northern European Countries would set out for Italy as a culmination of their cultural education. Very often their travels would end in Venice, Florence or Rome, giving rise to a huge demand for 'souvenir' views of these cities. Ludwig Passini certainly served this buoyant market, and his paintings of Venice and its inhabitants have retained their charm and appeal to this day.