Piazza San Marco, Venice, with the Basilica and the Campanile,
oil on canvas, 60.5 x 95 cm, framed

Provenance:
Dr. August Stiglbauer (1896–1959);
Stefanie Stiglbauer (1908–1997);
thence by descent to the present owner - private collection, Austria

The present painting shows one of the city’s celebrated locations, the Piazza San Marco. On the left is the imposing Basilica of Saint Mark with the Doge’s Palace just beyond, leading to the lagoon. Vertically dividing the canvas is the Campanile with the Procuratie Nuove extending to the right. At the extreme right, opposite Saint Mark’s, is the façade of the church of San Geminiano which was destroyed in the early nineteenth century by Napoleon. The two wings of the Procuratie were then joined across the west end of the Piazza.

The composition is characterised by a skilful use of light and attention to the picturesque details of everyday life. The buildings are traced with a clear and precise drawing and later completed with fluid brushstrokes. The luminous and colourful palette, as well as the keen eye for detail, visible in the rendering of the iconic setting and the lively array of individual figures that animate the scene, show the artist’s devotion to faithful observation.

The present painting is stylistically close to works by Michele Marieschi (Venice 1710–1743), who depicted the same view with slight variations (see D. Succi, Marieschi, Opera completa, Treviso 2016, pp. 174–181, figs. 15–20). In the last few years of his short life, Michele Marieschi dedicated himself to the art of engraving and this composition relates to his series of copper-plate engravings published for the first time in 1741 under the title Magnificentiores Selectioresque Urbis Venetiarum Prospectus. In the final edition there were a total of twenty views dedicated to the most recognisable sights of the city.