Antonio Joli, 1700 Modena – 1777 Neapel Lot n° 265

VIEW OF THE BACINO DI SAN MARCO WITH THE CHURCH S. GIORGIO MAGGIORE AND THE GIUDECCA Oil on canvas. 56 x 97 cm. In baroque gilt frame. Enclosed an appraisal by G. Briganti, October 1990. We know many works by Antonio Joli in which he skilfully captures the light splendour of the sitter and knows how to convey it two-dimensionally - as here too, where as an additional trick he takes the diagonal leading into the picture ground on the left far into the sky and the right side of the picture. Antonio Joli was trained in his native Modena in the workshop of Raffaello Rinaldi (1648-1722), called Il Menia, where he specialized in perspective views. At the age of 20, Joli travelled to Rome to train under the guidance of the famous masters Giovanni Paolo Panini and Codazzi, to whom he owed his international style, which would later become highly sought after. After returning to Modena in 1725 and a brief stay in Perugia, where he worked on the interiors of Palazzo Donnini and Palazzo Crispoldi, the artist decided to go to Venice in 1732. There he immersed himself in the world of stage design and began to specialize in scenography, a successful activity that would accompany him throughout his career. Over the next ten years he visited the great European courts, in England and Germany as well as in Spain. These experiences were fundamental to his career, not only to expand his personal network, but also to develop his own style. These years saw an increasing use of wide-angle perspective in his vedute, a technique clearly inspired by the works of Vanvitelli and Canaletto. His reputation as a celebrated painter of vedute subsequently made him the most sought-after artist by foreign, aristocratic grand tourists to Italy, especially the English elite: Sir William Hamilton and Lord Montague Brudenell - who were, in fact, among his most active patrons. Finally, in 1762, he decided to settle in Naples, where he became set designer of the famous Teatro San Carlo and spent the rest of his life there. (†) Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 16 April 1980, lot 18. Galleria Salamon, Milan, 1990. Literature: Roberto Middione, Antonio Joli, Soncino 1995, p. 66, plate 11. Mario Manzelli, Antonio Joli. Opera pittorica, Venice 1999, p. 102, fig. 74. Ralph Toledano, Antonio Joli. Modena 1770-1777 Napoli, Turin 2006, p. 202. (1291413) (13) Antonio Joli, 1700 Modena - 1777 Naples VIEW OF THE BACINO DI SAN MARCO WITH SAN GIORGIO MAGGIORE AND GIUDECCA Oil on canvas. 56 x 97 cm. An expert's report by G. Briganti, October 1990 is enclosed. (†) Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 16 April 1980, lot 18. Galleria Salamon, Milan 1990. Literature: Roberto Middione, Antonio Joli, Soncino 1995, p. 66, plate 11. Mario Manzelli, Antonio Joli. Opera pittorica, Venice 1999, p. 102, ill. 74. Ralph Toledano, Antonio Joli. Modena 1770-1777 Napoli, Turin 2006, p. 202.