Venetian School, c. 1750

The present view shows the Grand Canal with Santa Maria della Salute and the Dogana on the far quay; the foreground is bustling with the excitement of the Regatta taking place along the canal. The identity of the artist of this view is yet to be determined. Dario Succi had suggested a tentative attribution to Charles Léopold Grevenbroeck (active 1670-1730) when the painting last appeared on the market. The scene depicted recalls Luca Carlevarijs' grand regatta views (examples at The J. Paul Getty, Los Angeles and Frederiksburg). Stylistically however, the present painting seems more closely related to the work of Michele Marieschi, whose representation of this view can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago (see R. Toledano, Michele Marieschi, L'opera completa, Milan, 1988, nos. V14.1), and Giovanni Battista Cimaroli, whose lively staffage is akin to that in the present lot.