Identify the Mystery Picture!
Wednesday September 19, 2007
Round 4
Ladies and gentlemen, start your eye motors. Our latest challenge -- and we are currently batting .6666 (infinity) on the whole, as Steve's mystery picture has yet to be I.D.ed -- comes courtesy of Elaine. This one is a little bit different, because (1) Elaine owns the painting and (2) it's not a reproduction but, instead, an original canvas.
Please allow me to take one moment, here, and offer you all my standard, hard line email disclaimer for the record: everyone's best bet, in cases such as this, is to locate a certified appraiser and pay for professional opinions, advice and research. Period. You cannot take anything less "to the bank," so to speak. Elaine knows this, of course, but has graciously offered to let us have our fun in the interim. So, here we are:
Known:
Ladies and gentlemen, start your eye motors. Our latest challenge -- and we are currently batting .6666 (infinity) on the whole, as Steve's mystery picture has yet to be I.D.ed -- comes courtesy of Elaine. This one is a little bit different, because (1) Elaine owns the painting and (2) it's not a reproduction but, instead, an original canvas.
Please allow me to take one moment, here, and offer you all my standard, hard line email disclaimer for the record: everyone's best bet, in cases such as this, is to locate a certified appraiser and pay for professional opinions, advice and research. Period. You cannot take anything less "to the bank," so to speak. Elaine knows this, of course, but has graciously offered to let us have our fun in the interim. So, here we are:
Known:
- This painting was given to Elaine's parents around 1965, by a neighbor of theirs on the Pamlico River in Washington, North Carolina.
- The neighbor was, at the time, around 75 years old. His father, who, doing the math, had to have been born in the mid-1800s or thereabouts, may have been a sea captain. (He was engaged in European trade in some capacity and sailed a ship; this much is certain.)
- Its medium is oil on canvas.
- Its size is "approximately 24 x 36 inches" (not sure if this includes the frame, which is massive, wooden and ornately carved).
- It is signed, in red, in the lower left-hand corner.
- It is a waterscape.
- There are two figures having an exchange on the right-hand side. One is in a vessel, the other is seated above the waterline.
- The setting is Venice. In fact, I have spent most of my morning flying my magic carpet (OK, Google Earth, in reality) around virtual Venice, and here is what seems likely:
We are near the Piazza San Marco and the Doge's Palace, on St. Mark's Canal (or Basin) looking west towards the Punta della Dogana (Customs Point) where the Grand Canal (right) meets the Giudecca Canal (left). However the Customs House, as we know it, is absent, and we are looking at ... some other, pre-late 17th-century structure ... in the foreground of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. The area between the two appears to be flooded. The narrow finger of land and the domes of S. Maria della Salute fit. The other structure does not, so further historic research on this point is indicated. Unless we are dealing with a clear-cut case of artistic license, wherein all bets are off.
- It is high tide, because of the aforementioned "flooding" and also because the water is depicted as being extremely shallow in spots. You'll notice an absence of boats in certain areas.
- It is a gloomy day. Either that, or there's an extremely advanced case of craquelature going on here.
- The name of the artist. The signature looks like this, according to Elaine: "Possibly, P or S, and then l, a, i and an h or n." (Click here for a view of the signature, which is on the front of the painting in the lower left-hand corner.)
- Its date of execution.
- If it was painted while in Venice, or from memory, or was a later copy of another artist's work.
- If it did, indeed, originate in Europe, or if it was the work of a non-European artist that spoke, because of its subject matter, to the sea-faring sailor.
Comments
It has the look of an advanced amateur to me. Something about the handling of that wooden anchor-thing, just seems a trifle clunky, as is the composition. (of course I’ll eat my words if it turns out to be some famous great artist, but then, I also think Cezanne is a fabulous colorist and terrible draughtsman…)
I can’t see the figures all that well – could we ask the owner for a closeup of the signature and of the figures -with NO flash- and indirect light, please?
Yes, we could ask for this and have. New photos of the composition and signature (sans flash) should be up soon, Helen. The best photos I’ve got, currently, are of the back of the canvas and frame, hanging wire and the stretchers. (No clues there, unfortunately.)
I believe the view is Venice and comparing it to some paintings by Canaletto the colours of the hat and clothes are very similar. The island in the distance looks like the silouette of the Santa Maria della Salute but I can’t make out the the island in the foreground. Canaletto’s early paintings were not as contrived as his later ones. Francesco Guardi also painted views of Venice and the faces in his pictures have similar facial expressions and softness.
I don’t think it is actually Canaletto, as apart from the signature, it just doesn’t have the quality of draughtsmanship and light that the great painter does.
An interesting thought though – on this page is a view of the ‘Molo with the Library and Entrance to the Grand Canal’ which looks like a good candidate for the location of the painting with San Giorgio Maggiore in the background.
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/c/canalett/6/index.html
I think the unidentified builing looks like Mont St Michel in France risiing from the mist or water. It can very well be a typical European [read Dutch, English or French] ‘Italian landscape’ painting with a mixture of different places. The style was very popular in the 19th century because of the rich traveling a tour of Europe.