Frits Thaulow went to Venice three times; in the spring of 1885 along with his Norwegian painter friend Eilif Peterssen (1852-1928), in 1897 in connection with the second Venice Biennale, and in 1899 both in the spring and during the summer and early autumn, also in connection with the third Biennale. Most of his Venice paintings seem to have been painted in 1899. During this 1899 trip he stayed at the Casa Andruzzi, a building which still exists today in the Dorsoduro district by the Giudecca Canal and close to the Salute.
There is a slightly smaller version of this subject, with the title Nuit d’orage, which was exhibited in the Thaulow exhibition held in Paris in January 1917, arranged by the artist’s former dealer Georges Petit & Cie.
We are grateful to Vidar Poulsson for confirming the authenticity of this lot and for his assistance with the catalogue note.