Christie's to offer Francesco Guardi's Venice at London sale

KOLKATA: Christie's will offer the Venice, the Bacino di San Marco with the Piazzetta and the Doge's Palace by Francesco Guardi (1712-1793) from The Baron Henri de Rothschild Collection. It will be offered for the first time in over a century, in the London Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale, on Tuesday 8 July (estimate: £8-10 million/$13-16.5 million/€9.5-12 million).

Executed at the height of Guardi's maturity and depicting one of the most celebrated prospects of Venice, centering on the Doge's Palace, the caliber of this work is matched by its exceptional provenance. Originally in the collection of The Earls of Shaftesbury; it was acquired by Baron James-Edouard de Rothschild (1844-1881) and was in turn owned by his daughter Jeanne-Sophie-Henriette, Baronne Leonino (1875-1929) and then by her brother Baron Henri-James-Charles-Nathan de Rothschild (1872-1947), from whom it was inherited by the present owners.

Not seen in public since 1954 (Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, La Peinture Venitienne), this work will go on a global tour starting with a public view at Christie's in Paris on 3 and 4 March; Moscow on 12 and 13 April (Guardi's work has long been appreciated in Russia, through works held in the Hermitage collection and in other pre-revolutionary collections, as well as in the Pushkin Museum today); New York from 2 to 6 May; Hong Kong from 22 to 26 May; and London 5 to 8 July.

The sale of this canvas provides international private collectors and institutions with a rare opportunity to acquire a work which is considered to be a masterpiece within Guardi's oeuvre. It is set to become one of the most valuable works by the artist sold at auction.