Venice is not a Capriccio

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Vedute or capricci? Painters working in Italy at the end of the seventeenth century cleverly mixed the two genres. The most active is a Dutchman, Gaspar van Wittel (Gaspare Vanvitelli).

In Venice, Luca Carlevarijs (a real Italian, despite the spelling used for his name) satisfied his customers in both genres. A realistic view of San Giorgio Maggiore is for sale at Bonhams in London on July 8. It was painted on canvas in 1706, 64 x 93 cm.

The catalog tells us that twenty years later the owner wanted to buy other paintings of the same artist but a good counselor advised him to prefer Canaletto. He was not wrong: Carlevarijs images are well made and animated, but do not match the sharpness of lines that gives such life to the works of his successor.

Let us therefore consider Carlevarijs as an important actor of the early Venetian vedute. This is possibly not enough to expect K £ 500 for his painting. Other works were sold well above this price, but they were larger and more animated.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

In preparing the article, I correctly identified that this painting was not worth £ 500 K. It has not been sold.

There is some comfort in reporting the result of lot 83, a view of the Tiber in the direction of the Castel Sant'Angelo by Andrea Locatelli, 55 x 110 cm, sold £ 1.3 million including expenses. It was estimated 150 K £.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Corrigendum: the view of the Tiber mentioned above, first attributed to Locatelli in two press releases and catalog, was announced just before the sale as surely made by Giuseppe Zocchi. This painting fresh on the market had been found in a cottage in Devon. The market for ancient art, paradoxically, likes newcoming artworks: £ 1.3 million including expenses.