A Canaletto Once Owned by Britain’s First Prime Minister to Be Sold
Canaletto’s iconic view of Venice, once hung at 10 Downing Street, leads Christie’s July sale and is his finest work in a generation.
A dazzling view of Venice by Canaletto, The Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day, painted around 1732, will headline Christie’s Old Masters Evening Sale in London on 1 July.
With an estimate above £20 million, this extraordinary work has appeared at auction only twice in its nearly 300-year history.
Remarkably preserved, the painting boasts a richly textured surface and vibrant impasto.
Once hanging in 10 Downing Street, the painting belonged to Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and is the earliest recorded Canaletto known to have graced an English home.
Formerly paired with a pendant of the Grand Canal, the work exemplifies Canaletto’s command of light, movement and architectural precision, capturing the splendour of Venice’s most celebrated festival.
The picture will be exhibited at Christie’s New York and Hong Kong in May, before returning to London in June.
Christie’s Global Head of Old Masters, Andrew Fletcher, describes it as “unquestionably the greatest work by the artist to come to market in a generation”.
A rare opportunity for collectors, this masterwork stands as a testament to Canaletto’s enduring genius and his influence on the art of cityscape painting.
