Inspired by the success of Canaletto’s (1697–1768) images of Venice, Venetian artist Francesco Guardi produced picturesque vedute (cityscapes) for the tourist trade. Although the artist was little-known in his own day,
his views of 18th-century Venice are now greatly appreciated. Having learned from the structured, highly-delineated approach of Canaletto, Guardi created a more lyrical style, characterized by his personal interpretation
of Venice as a fairy tale city, bathed in humid light. His paintings incorporate atmospheric qualities and an expressive, animated brushwork.
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The support is a coarse, plain-weave fabric prepared with a gritty, thinly applied dark red ground. The surface composition was painted directly (without an isolating layer) over a preexisting composition consisting of
white scrollwork and flowers painted on a beige background. In x-radiographs these elements appear to have been loosely executed as in a sketch and form the left end of a larger decorative panel. Losses in the underlying
paint layer were filled before the surface composition was applied. The surface paint was applied thinly, except in the whites and highlights, which show a somewhat thicker buildup of paint. Pigment analysis using polarized
light microscopy found ultramarine ash, vermilion, red lake, van dyke brown, yellow ocher, charcoal black, lead white, chalk, and quartz.[1]
The tacking margins have been removed, but cusping is visible on the left and right, or the top and bottom of the first composition. The surface is abraded and small paint losses are scattered throughout. Pitting of the
paint layer may be due to excessive heat during a lining or loss of large pigment particles. The underlying design shows through slightly in the sky due to abrasion and craquelure and the increased transparency of the
upper paint layer, but this effect was minimized through inpainting in 1984 during the conservation treatment by Elizabeth Steele. The painting was relined, discolored varnish was removed, and the painting was restored
by Stephen Pichetto in 1934. The varnish is clear.
[1] Elizabeth Steele, Analytical Report of 17 August 1984, NGA curatorial files.
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