Félix Francois Georges Philibert Ziem (French, 1821-1911) Le Palais des Doges, vu du canal della Grazia

Description:

Félix Francois Georges Philibert Ziem (French, 1821-1911)

Le Palais des Doges, vu du canal della Grazia,
Signed "Ziem" l.r.
Oil on panel, 16 1/2 x 23 1/4 in. (41.8 x 59.0 cm),framed (under glass).
Condition: Vertical splats to panel, subtle surface grime, fine craquelure.

Provenance: Knoedler, London, 1930; probably directly to Ellwood R. Burdsall, then by descent within his family.

Literature: Anne Burdin-Hellebranth, Félix Ziem, 1821-1911, Paris, 1998, entry 316 (illustrated).

N.B. Ziem was born and raised in Burgundy, and began his artistic studies at the Ecole d'Architecture de Dijon, and won a prize for drawing and architecture in 1839. In1842 he traveled to Italy, first to Rome than to Venice. He was immediately enamored of Venice with its unique qualities of light and reflection, and it is purportedly this visit that convinced Ziem to abandon architecture in favor of painting. In discussing Ziem, Frédéric Chopin said, "Chaque artiste a une patrie idéale souvant éloignée de son vrai pays…La patrie de Ziem est Venise." Ziem returned to Venice repeatedly, and it was his legal residence for several years. Unlike previous artists documenting the city such as Canaletto and Guardi, the architecture is secondary in Ziem's work to the effects of light. In the present work, the unique brickwork and Gothic style of the Doges palace becomes lost in the golden light of late afternoon which drenches all of the architecture. Similarly, the loose brushstroke and saturated palette create a sense of the movement of the water and the shifting of light as the day wanes.

1. E. Bénézit, Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs (Librairie Gründ: Paris),1976, volume 10, p. 903
Estimate $15,000-25,000

Mild craquelure with some separating. There are also some minor nicks/losses to edges. The work might benefit from a gentle cleaning.

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