Michele MARIESCHI (Venice, 1710 - 1743 ) The Grand Canal with the church of San Stae, Venice Oil on canvas The Grand Canal with the Church of San Stae, Venice, oil on canvas, by M. Marieschi 22.04 x 33.46 in. 56.0 x 85.0 cm Provenance: William Culling Eardley Collection, London ; Bertram Keely Collection, London; Acquavella Galleries, New York, 1956 ; Collection Rudolph von Fluegge ; Richard Green, London, 1985; Private collection, Paris Bibliography: Ralph Toledano, Michele Marieschi. L'opera completa, Milan, 1988, p. 113, no. V.34.1, repr. Mario Manzelli, Michele Marieschi e il suo alter-ego Francesco Albotto, Venice, 1991, no. M.43.1 Ralph Toledano, Michele Marieschi. Catalogo ragionato, seconda edizione riveduta e corretta, Milan, 1995, pp. 119-119, no. V.41, repr. Federico Montecuccoli degli Erri and Filippo Pedrocco, Michele Marieschi, la vita, l'ambiente, l'opera, Milan, 1999, p. 239, no. 19. Softness and dream, elegance and magnificence emanate from this splendid veduta by Michele Marieschi. Our artist, at the height of his powers at the time, has nothing to envy his better-known rival Canaletto. His waves are more lively, his gondolas less static, and his façades vibrant rather than mathematically drawn with a camera obscura. Fans of Antonio Canal may not like it, but here Marieschi defies and surpasses him! The silvery, metallic atmosphere is almost unreal. The white stone of Istria plays with its reflections in the waters of the Grand Canal, the clouds driven by an Adriatic wind give a dynamic rhythm to the composition, and the feri da prorà adorn the waters like a set of diamonds on a queen's bust. Michele Marieschi set up his easel on the left bank of the Grand Canal, depicting an endearing place that is particularly representative of the various architectural movements in the City of the Doges. In the centre, the church of San Eustachio, or San Stae in Venetian, designed by Domenico Rossi and financed by the Doge Alvise II Mocenigo in 1710. Behind the church is the Palazzo Mocenigo, now in an exceptional state of preservation, with its entire collection. However beautiful and important it may be, it has no facade overlooking the Grand Canal. It can only be accessed via narrow streets, such as the Salizzada di San Stae, the end of which can be seen to the left of the small façade of the Scuoletta dell'Arte dei Tiraro e Battiorio. The latter was built by Antonio Gaspari in 1711 in the wake of the church (in Venice, where there's a church there's a scuola: you have to take your money where you find it!) The Palazzo Foscarini Giovanelli, built in the 17th century and the birthplace of Doge Marco Foscarini in 1695, is shown on the left of the composition. On the right, the Gothic-style building is Palazzo Giustiniani, later Contarini, which was destroyed by fire in the eighteenth century. Ralph Toledano suggests that the double-headed eagles on the large gilded ceremonial gondolas are those of the Giustiniani family. Michele MARIESCHI (Venice, 1710 - 1743 ) 56.0 x 85.0 cm Softness and dreams, elegance and magnificence emanate from this splendid veduta by Michele Marieschi. Our artist, at the height of his powers at the time, has nothing to envy his more famous rival Canaletto. His waves are more lively, his gondolas less static, and his façades vibrant rather than mathematically drawn with a camera obscura. Fans of Antonio Canal may not like it, but here Marieschi defies and surpasses him! The silvery, metallic atmosphere is almost unreal. The white stone of Istria plays with its reflections in the waters of the Grand Canal, the clouds driven by an Adriatic wind give a dynamic rhythm to the composition, and the feri da prorà adorn the waters like a set of diamonds on a queen's bust. Michele Marieschi set up his easel on the left bank of the Grand Canal, depicting an endearing place that is particularly representative of the various architectural movements in the City of the Doges. In the centre, the church of San Eustachio, or San Stae in Venetian, designed by Domenico Rossi and financed by the Doge Alvise II Mocenigo in 1710. Behind the church is the Palazzo Mocenigo, now in an exceptional state of preservation, with its entire collection. However beautiful and important it may be, it has no facade overlooking the Grand Canal. It can only be accessed via narrow streets, such as the Salizzada di San Stae, the end of which can be seen to the left of the small façade of the Scuoletta dell'Arte dei Tiraro e Battiorio. The latter was built by Antonio Gaspari in 1711 in the wake of the church (in Venice, where there's a church there's a scuola: you have to take your money where you find it!) The Palazzo Foscarini Giovanelli, built in the 17th century and the birthplace of Doge Marco Foscarini in 1695, is shown on the left of the composition. On the right, the Gothic-style building is Palazzo Giustiniani, later Contarini, which was destroyed by fire in the eighteenth century. Ralph Toledano suggests that the double-headed eagles on the large gilded ceremonial gondolas are those of the Giustiniani family.