Francesco Tironi (Venice, circa 1745 - 1797)
View of Venice at the entrance to Cannaregio
oil on canvas
59 x 75 cm - with frame 72 x 88 cm.
Work accompanied by a descriptive sheet by Prof. E. Negro
The canvas, dating back to the 1780s, is attributed to the Venetian vedutista Francesco Tironi (Venice, 1745-1797), demonstrating the artist's expressive skills in the mature phase of his activity.
It is a view of Venice, immortalizing a glimpse with some palaces, two churches, and as many bell towers, captured at the mouth of the Cannaregio Canal. The canvas thus depicts a picturesque corner of the lagoon populated by gondolas and boats sailing or anchored in that stretch of the well-known city waterway, teeming with numerous figures of merchants, sailors, and common people.
Both the architectural structures of the buildings and the slightly rippled motion of the lagoon's waves are rendered with a concise sobriety compared to reality. Furthermore, the veduta composition is appropriately set against a background characterized by a vast expanse of sky crossed by white clouds.
In the 18th century, Venice experienced a second "golden age" in the artistic and cultural sphere. Venetian veduta became a highly successful pictorial genre, satisfying the demands of patrician families, nobles, especially English and German, but also French, who visited the city during their "Voyage d'Italie" (Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples), and of those who, though never having been to Venice, wished to decorate their residences with views of the Serenissima.
Alongside Antonio Canal 'Il Canaletto' (1697-1768), the prime example of vedutismo, a large number of artists active in the lagoon city made this pictorial season extraordinary. Among them are Luca Carvelarijs, the Guardi, Francesco and his son Giacomo, Michele Marieschi, and indeed Francesco Tironi, to whom the proposed painting is attributed.
Our attribution is supported by comparison with the artist's certain works, due to the similar way of setting up the scenes, the common tendency in rendering perspective, the careful detail of accurately drawn architecture, the marked play of light and shadow, and the type of numerous figures in the Canaletto style, which animate the scene in the square.
Tironi is characterized by a rather eclectic taste, which originally blends elements taken from Canaletto or Marieschi (for the type of 'macchiette' and the compositional layout of the vedute) with clear Guardi influences (for the synthetic rendering of architectural elements, fluently defined).
Regarding our View of Venice at the entrance to Cannaregio, there are numerous analogies with other compositional works by Tironi, so that to confirm the proposed attribution, it is sufficient to compare it with some drawings by the Venetian master (e.g., the View of the island of Mazzorbo and that of the islands of Murano, S. Michele, and S. Cristoforo, both in New York at the Robert Lehman collection), as well as with paintings depicting the View of the Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge (Ajaccio, Musée Fesch), the View on the Brenta River (Genoa, Cambi Casa d'Aste, December 16, 2021, no. 211) and its pendant with views of St. Mark's Square and the island of San Giorgio (Genoa, Wannenes, March 5, 2020, no. 773).
These works, in fact, show clear stylistic analogies and similar perspectival inventions also found in our scene, namely a peculiar recovery of early 18th-century vedutismo aimed at overcoming and simplifying the last Baroque vestiges and a clear orientation towards more subdued figurative solutions, inspired by genuinely Venetian models in the architectural design: recurring characteristics in the rewarding works of Francesco Tironi.
The view, in excellent state of preservation, has been relined and is enriched by a beautiful antique gilded and lacquered frame.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
The work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
We handle and organize the transport of purchased works, both within Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to view the painting in our gallery in Riva del Garda; we would be pleased to welcome you to show you our collection of works.
Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information.
Follow us on:
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/
