Pitched at £40,000-60,000 at the on July 7 auction, the 4ft 6in x 3ft 2in (1.38m x 98cm) painting, is a large work by the Rome-born artist who trained in the studio of his father, Giovanni Francesco.
Although he produced a number of river and coastal scenes, his idyllic Baroque landscapes with classical or allegorical subjects are considered his most significant works and they gained much recognition among wealthy Europeans on the Grand Tour.
Locatelli’s patrons included distinguished collectors such as Vittoro Amadeo II of Savoy and cardinals Alessandro Albani and Pietro Ottoboni.
Variety show
‘Shipping in a calm sea’ by Samuel Scott – estimated at £50,000-70,000 at Bonhams.
One of the British pictures at the Bonhams sale is Shipping in a calm sea by Samuel Scott (1702-72) which was originally part of the famed collection of Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill.
In fact, Scott was an artist promoted by Walpole – he said “if he was second to Vandeveldt in sea pieces, he excelled him in variety” – and Walpole commissioned him to paint a large set of views for two mirrored niches in the gallery at his mansion in Twickenham.
The works for this project were sold at the 1842 auction of contents of Strawberry Hill and this 2ft x 20in (61 x 51cm) oil on canvas was purchased by an ancestor of Bonhams’ vendor. Although the picture has been on loan at Strawberry House for the last nine years, this is the first time that one of Scott’s views from this commission has resurfaced at auction.
Estimate £50,000-70,000.
