Important online auction, June 5-18: Piguet Hôtel des Ventes auction house in Geneva is in fact organizing an auction spanning three centuries of Italian creativity. The Swiss maison is offering an exclusively online sale until June 18, culminating with an in-person event on June 19 at 6 p.m. at its headquarters. Taking center stage will be a selection of works by Italian and foreign Old Masters from the period between the 16th and 18th centuries, testimony to the richness and variety of Europe’s artistic heritage.
The undisputed star of this round isItaly, with works signed by some of the greatest names in the pictorial and graphic scene of the time: Domenico Campagnola, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri known as Guercino, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, Giovanni Battista Cimaroli and the workshop of Michele Giovanni Marieschi. On display and at auction are drawings, preparatory studies, and paintings that vividly and skillfully recount the complexity of Italian art, from the suggestions of the Renaissance to the theatricality of the Baroque and the grace of the Rococo. The complete catalog can be viewed online at Piguet’s official website (piguet.com) starting June 5, which also marks the start of bidding.
Among the most prominent lots is a pair of Venetian views by Giovanni Battista Cimaroli, a painter active in the mid-18th century and known for his luministic sensibility and elegant compositions. The two canvases, datable between 1745 and 1750, depict respectively the Veduta del Palazzo Ducale with gondolas in the lagoon and the Veduta della Dogana with figures in the foreground. These are works of great charm, capable of evoking the timeless atmosphere of the Serenissima. The estimate for the lot, number 27, is between 150,000 and 250,000 Swiss francs (160-213,000 euros).
Alongside these masterpieces, the sale also features numerous drawings of the highest quality. These include Domenico Campagnola’s Jupiter, an intense and dynamic composition executed in ink on paper, reflecting the spirit of the Venetian Renaissance. It measures 19.5 x 33 cm and has an estimate of between 10,000 and 15,000 Swiss francs, or 10-16 thousand euros (lot no. 2697).
Also notable is Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo’s Study for a Ceiling: Venus and Love Surrounded by Putti, signed and executed with charcoal, pen and brown ink on watermarked paper, completed with a delicate wash. The drawing, probably designed for a fresco decoration, comes from a prestigious French collection and is estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000 francs (lot no. 2705).
There is also a rare example of Guercino’s hand, with a Portrait of a Man Leaning on a Book, datable to around 1650. This fine sanguine drawing, measuring 23 x 17 cm, is a vivid example of the psychological introspection that characterizes the Emilian artist’s portraits. The work boasts an illustrious provenance-including the Calamatta collection and a Sotheby’s auction in London-and has an estimate of between 15,000 and 20,000 Swiss francs, thus 16-21 thousand euros (lot no. 2700).
Finally, a canvas attributed to the workshop of Michele Giovanni Marieschi also deserves attention: La Salute, a Venetian view painted in the 18th century, measuring 62 x 95 cm. The work offers a poetic and luminous view of the lagoon city, with its unmistakable skyline dominated by the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. The lot, number 28, is estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000 francs (10-16 thousand euros).
An opportunity, then, to enrich one’s collections with works of great historical and artistic value.
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| Major online auction at Piguet's: Italian Old Masters for sale |
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