Provenance: Private Collection, Pennsylvania.
NOTE:
L'Association Félix Ziem, represented by Mr. David Pluskwa and Mr. Mathias Ary-Jan, have kindly confirmed the authenticity of the present work, which will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the Artist's work. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany the work.
Primarily known as a landscape painter, Félix Ziem produced a prodigious quantity of work, mostly scenes set in the Venice Lagoon, which he visited annually until 1892. The present work is a quintessential painting by Ziem, a vibrant scene in which boats and gondolas almost seem to compete for space within the crowded bay, and with the Molo in the distance at right. The painting is replete with figures, whom, unlike in the present painting, Ziem often depicted in less detail. The composition is highly realistic, but also absorbs the romantic trends prevalent in art during that time. In the painting, the upper two-thirds of the composition are comprised of sky - a format generally favored by the artist, who also revealed in capturing the effects of light and sun, and reflections on the water.