Giovanni Grubacs (Venice 1830–1919 Pula) Venice, a View of Palazzo Ducale from the Bacino, signed - Gio Grubas-, oil on canvas, 69 x 106 cm, framed Provenance: Private Collection, Italy. We are grateful to Prof. Fabrizio Magani for confirming the authenticity on the basis of a photograph. This vibrant view of the Bacino di San Marco depicts, from the left, the Libreria, designed in the style of the Zecca by Jacopo Sansovino, and the Campanile and the Piazzetta with the columns of Saint Mark and Saint Theodore towering behind. In the centre is the Doge’s Palace and to the right of this is the Ponte della Paglia and the Palazzo delle Prigioni on the Riva degli Schiavoni. The three smaller buildings in the background, which have since been replaced by the Hotel Danieli Excelsior, are followed by the fifteenth-century Palazzo Dandolo, that has now become the Hotel Danieli. Across the Rio del Vin, is a smaller palace now also occupied by the Hotel Danieli. According to Prof. Magani the present lot can be dated back to around 1850 as it shows the new structure of the Ponte della Paglia (Straw Bridge), a bridge that links the Riva degli Schiavoni with the Molo. The Bridge was enlarged in 1847. The painting also shows the Ponte della Zecca before it was demolished in 1857. It was replaced by a temporary walkway which was then replaced by a new bridge in 1871. The atmosphere is animated with gondolas and boats and the passing crowds enjoying their daily passeggiata in the distance.