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Lot description
(Venice 1664–1744) Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice, oil on canvas, 74 x 112 cm, framed Provenance: with Thomas M’Lean, London (according to a label on the reverse); with Knoedler, New York (according to a label on the reverse); sale, Bonhams, New York, 26 October 2011, lot 19 (as Circle of Francesco Tironi); Private European collection; where acquired by the present owner Exhibited: Addison Gallery, Andover, Massachusetts (according to a label on the reverse) Literature: D. Succi, Il Fiore di Venezia. Dipinti dal Seicento all’Ottocento in collezioni private, Milan 2014, pp. 185–186, no. 125 (as Bernardo Canal) The present work represents a significant testament to the final phase of Bernardo Canal’s career, as it closely follows an etching published by Michele Marieschi in 1741, shortly before the painter’s death (D. Succi, La Serenissima nello specchio di rame, Castelfranco Veneto 2013, vol. I, p. 254, no. 27). While Marieschi’s engraving is characterised by a lively interplay of light and shadow and the presence of small, dynamic figures (the so-called macchiette), Canal’s painting conveys a more subdued atmosphere. Here, the figures are inspired by Canaletto’s models, moving with tranquility as they engage in their daily activities. Among the lesser-known painters of 18th-century Venice, Bernardo Canal, father of the celebrated Canaletto, holds a particular significance due to the stylistic connections between his works and those of his son and other Venetian masters. Initially active as a stage designer, he collaborated on theatrical productions in Venice and Rome before turning to view painting around 1720, following Antonio Canal’s success in the genre.