The Doge's Palace, Venice
Historical Context
Bonington's Doge's Palace, Venice from 1826 was painted during his Italian journey and quickly became one of his most celebrated works — a demonstration of his ability to capture the specific quality of Venetian light on water and architecture in oil sketches and small panels. The Doge's Palace facing the Piazzetta was among the most painted architectural subjects in Venice, and Bonington's version stood out for its remarkable luminosity and the spontaneous freshness of its execution. The work influenced Delacroix and Turner, and through them the entire subsequent history of atmospheric architectural painting — Bonington's ability to render specific qualities of southern light in a few confident strokes represented a technical and perceptual achievement that his contemporaries immediately recognized as revolutionary.
Technical Analysis
The oil on millboard captures the shimmering Venetian light with Bonington's characteristic rapid, transparent brushwork, rendering architecture and water with a spontaneous luminosity that anticipates Impressionist techniques.
Provenance
(Sotheby's London, United Kingdom, possibly Bonington Sale, June 29-30,1829, lot 215, sold to Glynn) . . . .; (Sotheby's, London, United Kingdom, February 10, 1838, possibly Mrs. Bonington, the artist's mother, sale, lot 124, to Mawe, bought in).; (Christie's, London, United Kingdom, possibly William Benoni sale, May 23, 1879, lot 86, sold to Permain. J. Hood (according to label on reverse).; (Christie's, London, United Kingdom, April 28, 1888, possibly W.A. Turner of Manchester sale, lot 106, sold to Harari & Johns Ltd.) .; (Harari & Johns Ltd., London, United Kingdom, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
.jpg&width=600)