Francesco Guardi (1712 Venice 1796), A Capriccio Splendida Veduta della laguna. Estimated Price: CHF90,000 - CHF120,000. Photo Koller Auctions

Oil on paper laid on canvas. 36.4 x 50.5 cm. 

Expertise: Rodolfo Pallucchini. 

Provenance: Formerly the private collection of the family of Mario and Giuseppe Bellini, circa 1900-1930 

Exhibited: XIe Biennale Internazionale des Antiquaires, Montecarlo, 1995

Note: This Venetian Capriccio with houses on a coast and a triumphal arch and classical ruins of Francesco Guardi can be dated in the early work of the painter and still shows clearly the influence of his master Canaletto, known as Canaletto (1697-1768). However Guardi painting differs from that of the late Canaletto through vivid light and shade effects and a free, almost impulsively acting line, such as in the sails and the small, defined in a few strokes figures that enliven the scene in the foreground. Stylistically, these view very close to the 1760 to dating works in the Louvre, Paris (Inv No RF 2252, the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, around 1760-65, see Morassi, Antonio:.. L'opera completa di Antonio e Francesco Guardi, Venice 1973 Cat. no. 594, fig. 564) and in the National Gallery, London (inv. no. 210 NG, Piazza San Marco, oil on canvas, circa 1760, 72.4 x 119.1 cm, see ibid Morassi ., Cat No. 322 to place Figure 350)

Old Master Paintings by Koller Auctions, September 18, 2015, 3:00 PM CET - Zurich, Switzerland