In honour of his great predecessor, the Venetian-born artist Giovanni Antonio Canal – best known as ‘Canaletto’, Edward Cooke would often sign his paintings of Venice’s harbours and lagoons ‘Il Lagunetto’.
Cooke kept meticulous records in his diaries and each of his paintings are signed, dated and catalogued to exact detail so that each ship and each location can be identified. On arriving in Venice, Cooke hired a gondola which he adapted so as to be able to anchor and paint from the water. His first sight of Venice is recorded; “Entered the glorious Venice. When the boat entered the Grand Canal, after passing the Salute the Moon rose and revealed the glories of the scene, but the Piazza exceeded all that I could possibly have imagined”. It is still a wonderful place.
Evening on the lagoon from Isola San Servolo, Venice is the most valuable work in the group, estimated at £60,000-£80,000. A magnificent ship sits in the calm evening waters, its sails billowing as it drifts into harbour. Another of the highlights in the collection is Trabaccoli carrying wood, San Giorgio Maggiore and the Dogana beyond, which is offered with estimates of £70,000-£90,000. It captures the calm of Venice’s harbour with great ships resting on the glassy waters.
The largest known single owner collection of paintings by Edward William Cooke, RA (British, 1811-1880) appears on the art market at Bonhams on 25th June. Twelve of the thirteen oil on paper paintings in the Collection show peaceful views of Venice’s harbours and lagoons, where the artist visited in the 1850s-60s.
The artist was so loved by the Dutch that they dubbed him ‘Van Kooke’. It was a badge of honour that the artist wore proudly. When they are not signed Il Lagunetto, many of his canvases are signed ‘Kooke’!
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