Francesco Fontebasso (Venice 1707-1769)

This fresh, spontaneously executed oil sketch dates to circa 1737. It is a variant of the modelletto formerly in the Foresti collection in Milan (see M. Magrini, Francesco Fontebasso, Venice, 1988, no. 91, fig. 26), and is comparable to the altarpiece of the church of San Salvador in Venice (op. cit. no. 179, fig. 24). Both palette and composition reveal a debt to the renowned 18th century Venetian painter, Giambattista Tiepolo. Indeed, the picture was mistakenly attributed to Tiepolo by Asplund, before it was recognized by Pallucchini and Moschini as a characteristic early work by Fontebasso (verbal communication, 1961).