Giacomo GUARDI (Venice, 1764 – 1835) The Church of Carità on the Grand Canal, Venice Oil on canvas (Restoration work around the edges) The Church of Carità on the Grand Canal, Venice, oil on canvas, by G. Guardi 5.90 x 8.66 in. 15 x 22 cm Provenance: Collection of Jeanne Charlotte Louise Marthe de Rothschild, Baroness Leonino (1874–1929) and her husband Abraham David Leonino (1867–1911); Inherited by his brother; Collection of Henri de Rothschild (1872–1947); Then passed down through the family; Private European collection Bibliography: Antonio Morassi, *Guardi I dipinti*, Venice, 1973, reprinted in 1984, vol. I, p. 407, no. 519, not illustrated. Built from the 12th? century onwards on the banks of the Grand Canal, in the south of Venice, in the Dorsoduro district, the church of Santa Maria della Carità stands at the heart of this sumptuous veduta by Giacomo Guardi. From 1807 onwards, this building has also housed the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice. In the foreground, on the left, the greenish, rippling waters, stirred by the gondolas, contrast with the large ecru-coloured slabs of the church’s forecourt. The eye, guided into the distance by the curve of the canal, gradually rests on the bell tower—which collapsed in 1744—and then on the houses, whose façades blend into the colour of the water. This painting also offers a fine example of the very free and graphic style of the artist, son of Francesco Guardi, who lightly traces his brown lines using a brush and fluid paint. Born in 1764, Giacomo Guardi could not have seen the bell tower before it collapsed. Its presence in the painting therefore suggests that he was probably inspired by a work predating 1744. This curiosity thus reveals some of the commercial strategies of his studio, which produced views of Venice imbued with picturesque memories for a clientele of travellers. We would like to thank Mr Charles Beddington for kindly confirming the authenticity of this work, based on digital photographs, in an email dated 1 June 2026. Giacomo GUARDI (Venice, 1764 – 1835) 15 x 22 cm