"A signature view of Venice by Canaletto brought a strong price for the 18th century Italian master at Christie's on February 4, leading the Old Master week in New York. Hammering at $26 million, it sold for a total of $30.5 million including fees, just over its $30 million pre-sale estimate. Backed by a guarantee and irrevocable bid, it was sure to sell."
"Most recently, also at Christie's, it sold for $20.1 million with fees in 2005-which is about $33.1 million today, when adjusted for inflation. In 1973, the painting fetched £280,000 (around $650,000 at the time) at Sotheby's, according to the provenance. Believed to have been commissioned by Thomas King, later Fifth Baron King, the work had passed by descent for nearly two centuries before first selling at Sotheby's London in 1937 for £2,100 ($10,400)."
"Painted during the Venetian artist's stay in England from 1746 to 1755, the work is unusual due to its vertical format and large scale. Venice was a popular stop on British aristocrats' "Grand Tours" of Europe, and Canaletto's panoramas of La Serenissima were like tourist postcards. Many of the favorite local attractions are depicted in this painting, including a flotilla of gondolas, the Doge's Palace, and his official resplendent galley, the Bucintoro, moored at the Molo on Ascension Day."
Canaletto's large, vertically formatted view of Venice, dated around 1754, sold at Christie's for $30.5 million including fees, hammering at $26 million and supported by a guarantee and irrevocable bid. The painting depicts Venice landmarks such as gondolas, the Doge's Palace, and the Bucintoro moored at the Molo on Ascension Day. The work was painted during Canaletto's English stay from 1746 to 1755. Provenance shows multiple prior auctions: a 2005 sale for $20.1 million (about $33.1 million adjusted), a 1973 Sotheby's sale for £280,000, and an initial 1937 Sotheby's London sale for £2,100.
Read at Artnet News
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