Canaletto's theatrical masterpiece brings Venice to New York

A theatrical masterpiece is up for auction at Christie's, writes Des O'Sullivan 

'Venice, the Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day' by Canaletto at Christie's in New York.

Canaletto's work  Venice, the Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day, will lead Christie's Old Masters auction in New York on February 4. The Bucintoro, the official galley of the Doge and a symbol of La Serenissima, was used exclusively on Ascension Day, and the Molo is the quay beside the Doge's Palace.

The spectacular celebration was a subject Canaletto returned to frequently as he brought the pomp and ceremony of the Venetian lagoon to life. 

This theatrical masterpiece, his last known rendition on the theme, was commissioned around 1754 by the King family (later Earls of Lovelace) and remained in their possession for almost 200 years. The first, commissioned by Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole (1676-1745), made a new world record of £31.9 million (€36.5 million) at Christie's Old Masters evening auction in London last July.

'A Coastal scene with an Antique Temple, 1662' by Claude Lorrain at Christie's.

Among the offerings at Christie's on February 5, during what is shaping up to be an especially strong Classics Week at Christie's in New York, is an Old Master chalk, pen and ink drawing by Claude Lorrain.