PROVENANCE -

Killian Steiner, the Württemberg industrialist, who founded the 'Associated Bank' in 1869, was among the founders of the 'Railroad Company' in the Balkans and in 1871 took part in the founding of 'The Bank of Germany', and by descent to the present owner.

LITERATURE -

C. Beddington, ‘Le prime vedute di Francesco Guardi’ in the catalogue of the exhibition Francesco Guardi 1712-1793, ed. A. Craievich and F. Pedrocco, Museo Correr, Venice, 29 September 2012 – 6 January 2013, p. 98, fig. 23 (colour).

This exceptional view of the Piazza San Marco was hidden in a private collection and remained unrecognised and unknown until its recent publication in the catalogue of the major Francesco Guardi tercentenary exhibition at the Museo Correr. It was until recently extended on three sides, an added strip at the bottom bearing a monogram “AC” and the date 1764. That date may in fact be accurate, the painting being closely related in style to the well-known, signed view of The Piazza San Marco looking South-East in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (A. Morassi, Guardi. L’opera completa di Antonio e Francesco Guardi, Venice, 1973, I, p. 371, no. 319; II, fig. 346). The added monogram indicates that this painting was sold in the nineteenth century as the work of Canaletto, and indeed, in its precision of detail it shows Guardi at his most Canalettesque. 

Three variants are known:

The Earl of Harewood; sale, Christie’s, London, 21 June 1968, lot 43. 11 ¾ x 20 in. (31.5 x 50.7 cm.). Morassi no. 345, fig. 372.

Crespi Collection, Milan. 47 x 67 cm. Ie. of almost exactly the same dimensions as this painting. Morassi no. 347, fig. 373.

Anon. Sale, Christie’s, New York, 11 January 1991, lot 86. 33 x 50 ¼ in. (83.9 x 127.6 cm.). Part of a late set of four painted for Samuel Boddington.

In all of these the Campanile is cut by the upper edge. While the ex-Harewood painting, which also crops the view on both sides, may be of similar date, the other versions are unquestionably later.