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Learn MoreCoucher de soleil, quai des Esclavons by Félix Ziem
- Félix Ziem masterfully captures the golden-hour splendor of Venice in this original oil on panel
- This atmospheric composition showcases the Dock of the Esclavons
- This work captures boats setting off into the evening against the city's iconic architecture
- Ziem's views of Venice belong to the world's most prestigious institutions, including the Louvre and the MET
- Get complete item description here
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1821-1911 | French
Coucher de soleil, quai des Esclavons
(Sunset, Dock of the Esclavons)
Signed “Ziem” (lower right)
Oil on panel
Venice was a favorite muse for the French artist Félix Ziem, and in Coucher de soleil, quai des Esclavons, he masterfully captures its golden-hour splendor. This atmospheric composition showcases the Dock of the Esclavons, one of the city's most vibrant waterfront promenades, where the interplay of light and. . .
1821-1911 | French
Coucher de soleil, quai des Esclavons
(Sunset, Dock of the Esclavons)
Signed “Ziem” (lower right)
Oil on panel
Venice was a favorite muse for the French artist Félix Ziem, and in Coucher de soleil, quai des Esclavons, he masterfully captures its golden-hour splendor. This atmospheric composition showcases the Dock of the Esclavons, one of the city's most vibrant waterfront promenades, where the interplay of light and water creates a scene of remarkable depth and luminosity. Ziem’s expert handling of color and brushwork enhances the grandeur of Venice’s architecture while immersing the viewer in the city’s enchanting evening glow.
This work captures boats setting off into the evening at the entrance to the Grand Canal with the iconic Basilica Santa Maria della Salute silhouetted in the distance. Ziem renders the city's iconic architecture, sparkling waters and wide open sky with lively brushstrokes, bringing the radiant composition to life. One of Ziem's most magnificent paintings, Coucher de soleil, quai des Esclavons reflects his mastery of the Barbizon School's realism, infused with a visionary style that is all his own.
Ziem was an eccentric spirit, who originally studied architecture in Dijon and worked as a surveyor on the construction of the Marseille canal before his watercolors attracted the patronage of Ferdinand-Philippe, Duc d’Orleans. In 1842, he visited Italy for the first time and instantly fell in love with Venice, where he would return throughout his life. Throughout his highly accomplished career, Ziem would exhibit regularly at the Paris Salon, travel extensively and earn the support of a broad range of important patrons entranced by his landscapes. His views of Venice, however, were certainly his most compelling and sought-after works both during his lifetime and still today. Several of the artist's Venice scenes belong to some of the world's most prestigious museums, including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. Ziem was so revered in his day that in 1864 he was honored to have Queen Victoria under his tutelage, and in 1857 he was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, rising to the rank of Officer in 1878.
Late 19th century
Canvas: 24” high x 35 7/8” wide (60.96 x 91.00 cm)
Frame: 34 1/2” high x 47” wide x 3" deep (87.63 x 119.38 x 7.62 cm)
Provenance:
Collection of Madame Bourson, Paris
Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 16 December 1916, lot 29 (as Soleil couchant sur le Grand Canal)
Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 17 May 1929, lot 105
Private Collection, Ile-de-France
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Literature:
Anne Burdin-Hellebranth, Félix Ziem 1821-1911, tome I, Paris, 1998, p. 154, n. 376

Maker: | Ziem, Félix |
Period: | 1816-1918 |
Origin: | France |
Type: | Paintings |
Style: | Barbizon School |
Depth: | 3.0 in. (7.62 cm) |
Width: | 47.0 in. (119.38 cm) |
Height: | 34.5 in. (87.63 cm) |
Canvas Width: | 35.825 in. (91.0 cm) |
Canvas Height: | 24.000 in. (60.96 cm) |

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