Defence
A Bird's Eye view of Venice, 1740.
Francesco Guardi (1712-1793)
MOD5605 - oil on canvas, 110cm x 190cm.
In any art collection whose origins are diverse, there will inevitably be a "miscellaneous" section.
This section includes some of the very best works of art and historic objects in the archive, all of which have little in common other than the fact that their provenance usually includes, at some stage, the desire of a previous owner that they should come into the care of the Admiralty, the War Office or, more recently, the Ministry of Defence.
This magnificent work by Francesco Guardi was painted around 1740. It was one of the many works bequeathed by John Wilson Croker; Secretary to the Admiralty between 1809 and 1830, and the Collection's main benefactor. Recent cleaning was carried out on the painting when some layers of discoloured varnish were removed.
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