Live Auction 7605Old Master and 19th Century Drawings
Israël Silvestre (Nancy 1621-1691 Paris)
Lot 91 FROM THE NIALL HOBHOUSE COLLECTION (LOTS 68, 71, 90 AND 91)

Israël Silvestre (Nancy 1621-1691 Paris)

The Duomo and Campanile, Florence

Closed8 July 2008

Price Realised

GBP 13,750

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Israël Silvestre (Nancy 1621-1691 Paris)
The Duomo and Campanile, Florence
black chalk, pen and grey ink, brown and grey wash, watermark device
12¼ x 17 7/8 in. (310 x 454 mm.)

The Earl of Abingdon; Sotheby's, London, 17 July 1935, part of lot 5.
with Colnaghi, London, 1935 (Drawings of Rome and Italy... by Israël Silvestre, no. 9).
Philip Hofer, Cambridge, Mass., according to J. Byam Shaw in 'Vier Ansichten von Florenz von Israel Silvestre'.
John (K.S.) Hewitt.

Specialist note

Silvestre was one year old when Stella drew the Duomo in Florence (see the preceding lot) and chose, about twenty years later, exactly the same viewpoint, though extending the view to the buildings surrounding the cathedral. The execution is very precise, and yet the Campanile is inaccurately shown as seemingly attached to the Duomo. The artist must have been aware of this as in the print published in 1661, based on this drawing (see supra), he decided to respect the exact topography.