Giacomo Guardi (1764-1835)

A similar view of the Isola Santo Spirito, but with different boats, was sold at Sotheby's, New York, 17 January 1985, lot 15, and a gouache is in the Museo Correr, Venice (A. Dorigato, catalogue of the exhibition, L'Altra Venezia di Giacomo Guardi, Ala Napoleonica, Venice, May-June 1977, p.33, no.11, illustrated; another was sold at Phillips, 20 April 1993, lot 81(B). The Church of Santo Spirito, designed by Jacopo Sansovino, was the original location of Titian's ceiling paintings 'Cain slaying Abel', 'The Sacrifice of Abraham' and 'David slaying Goliath', which were transferred to the sacristy of Santa Maria della Salute in 1656, when the Order of the regular Canons of the Santo Spirito was suppressed; the church was demolished in the Napoleonic period.

For other views by Giacomo Guardi of churches and islands in the Venetian lagoon, see A. Morassi, Guardi. I dipinti, Venice, 1973, II, figs.922-3 and 926-9, and the pictures sold at Sotheby's, 8 July 1992, lots 68-72, 9 December 1992, lots 82-3, and 21 April 1993, lot 262