Lot 1681
Lot 1681
DAVID ROBERTS, R.A. (1796-1864)

Santa Maria della Salute, Venice

Price Realised USD 1,890
Estimate
USD 4,000 - USD 6,000
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DAVID ROBERTS, R.A. (1796-1864)

Santa Maria della Salute, Venice

Price Realised USD 1,890
Price Realised USD 1,890
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Details
DAVID ROBERTS, R.A. (1796-1864)
Santa Maria della Salute, Venice
inscribed and dated 'Venice Oct 28th' (lower left) and inscribed 'St. Maria della Salute' (lower right)
pencil and watercolor, heightened with white on buff paper
7 x 978 in. (17.8 x 25.2 cm.)
Provenance
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 7 November 1995, lot 135.
Brought to you by
Allison CoxHead of Sale, Associate Specialist
A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

Lot Essay

Roberts visited Italy twice, in 1851 and 1853-4, but, although some Venetian drawings are dated 1853 and 1854, he only seems to have stayed there in 1851, when he was there for five weeks from September. His hotel was opposite the Punta della Dogana at the mouth of the Grand Canal, close to where the present view is taken from. He made drawings of Santa Maria della Salute from other viewpoints while in a gondola.‌
A number of critics compared Roberts's depictions of Venice with those of Turner. The Chromolithograph for 12 September 1868, after speaking of Turner's 'rapturous and visionary' approval, went on, 'We left Venice under the persuasion that nature could not rival the extravagance of Turner. Then plain, honest, and somewhat prosaic David Roberts made himself at home on the Grand Canal, and we have to thank his pencil for many noble pictures of Santa Maria della Salute and other equally well-known subjects'.
‌We are grateful to Krystyna Matyjaszkiewicz for her help in preparing this catalogue entry.
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