The two oils on canvas were typical of the artist's oeuvre: Grand Canal scenes conceived in the tradition of earlier Venetian vedute by the likes of Canaletto and Guardi. Each was signed and dated 1866, they measured approximately 17in x 2ft 1in (43 x 63.5cm) and were estimated at £3000-5000 apiece.
They had been in the family since the 1920s when they were purchased by the vendor's father, who travelled extensively.
At the sale last week they attracted considerable interest with bidding from no fewer than ten phone lines including half a dozen Italian bidders. The first canvas to be offered, show here, depicting The Doge's Palace to the foreground, went to a London dealer bidding in the room for £33,000 while the second, which showed the Church of Santa Maria della Salute in the distance, went to a Midlands dealer on the phone for £25,000.
Anne Crane
