18th Centruy VENICE Oil Painting OId Master

Description: Up for your consideration is this amazing old painting of Isla Santo Spirito in the Venice lagoon in Italy. I have done considerable research on this and I'll try to write it all here and not leave anything out. The view is of the church and belltower on Isla Santo Spirito near Venice, Italy. This is all gone today and has been since the time of Napoleon. Indeed, he used the island for target practice, so there is a connection. I believe the church was built in the 15th century and the year I understand it was all gone by is 1806. Today the island is mostly deserted and at one point you could buy it for around $40 million. The painting has a plaque on the front which reads S. CLEMENTE G. DE CAL. I believe this is because someone had incorrectly thought this painting was of San Clemente Island, which has a very similar looking church (I have never figured out what G. DE CAL means). There are some details in the church and layout of the buildings that bothered me so much that I did an immense amount of research trying to figure out what this really was. Eventually I found some engravings of Isla Santo Spirito which are a match for this. There are no photos of this island in existence because all the buildings were destroyed before the invention of photography. There are some drawings, engravings, and paintings of the island though. They all have little differences here and there, but you could expect that things would change through time. I've included some of the other images of the island from the likes of Guardi and Tironi. This painting has people in the lagoon mud digging for something. You see a lot of these types of paintings of an island with a church in the middle and then usually framed by boats on the edges. This one is really the only one I've seen with people in the lagoon like this. It's definitely interesting. The overall framing and subject matter make for a very nice piece. The painting is in a newer frame with a linen liner. I would guess that it was framed in the 1950's just based on that is the period when linen liners were popular. It is also not on it's original stretcher bars and isn't very tight on the current ones. I have never had the painting out of the frame, so I cannot say if there are any issues that you can't see. The frame is pretty nice, but could use a new liner and removal of the incorrect information plaque if you were to keep it. It's possible to find a period frame, but I've looked and just never found anything appropriate. It is a big question if this painting was done contemporary to when the buildings on the island existed or later. It is unsigned as would be most 18th century paintings. A lot of the 19th century paintings are signed, so that is one thing. It has yellowing to the varnish and craquelure that indicate it is old for sure. While I have no art credentials and am no professional, it is my personal opinion that this painting is an 18th century old master. Definitely there is more research that could be done. Maybe you'd find more clues when it's out of the frame? The artist who's work I think it most closely resembles is Francesco Tironi (1745-1797), but it would take a lot more effort to say anything like that with any certainty. In the overall sense, the painting is in pretty good condition for it's age. It has only the tiniest bit of paint loss. It is missing the original frame and stretcher bars for sure. It definitely could use some restoration or simply be enjoyed as is. I really enjoy this painting and it occupies an important spot on my wall. I'm not super motivated to sell it, but I am making it available regardless. I know this is a special piece and one that I won't be able to easily replace, so any offers that don't reflect that will be declined. Painting Size: 15" x 11"Framed Size: 22" x 18"

Price: 999 USD

Location: Portland, Oregon

End Time: 2024-12-02T21:23:42.000Z

Shipping Cost: 65 USD