The canvas has an old relining and is mounted on an old stretcher. The paint surface is dirty and the varnish heavily discoloured and opaque. It is difficult to see beneath the varnish and judge and how the painting will look once cleaned – the canvas weave is quite pronounced in places but this is probably due to the varnish being opaque. The paint is in good condition overall, especially for a painting of this size. No major damages are visible to the naked eye: only a small dent or hole (1cm) lower left in the snow. Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals a few scattered retouchings in the sky and background; a repaired vertical tear (15cm.) near the uppermost branch of the tree; localised strengthening to the mill and figures nearby (though these are crude and may not be necessary); strengthening to the water and parts of the snow in the foreground (also crudely brushed on and perhaps unnecessary). The lower left corner of the canvas has also been restored. Apart from these, the painting is in good order and will transform through cleaning. The gilt wood and plaster frame has substantial damages and losses in the lower corners, lower centre and upper right.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This hitherto unpublished large winter landscape by Marco Ricci is an important addition to the artist's oeuvre. Marco was trained by his uncle the painter Sebastiano Ricci and is known to have collaborated with him on numerous occasions. Though he came to specialise in landscapes, both in oil and in tempera, Marco Ricci did not often paint on this scale when working independently and winter scenes by him are quite rare; few have appeared on the market in the recent past.

Like many of his landscapes, the composition is made up of several distinct episodes within an expansive landscape that dwarfs the figures within it. The present work should be compared to two other winter landscapes, both smaller in size, which were painted at different times in the artist's career: one in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (inv. no. 557), datable to shortly after 1700, and the other formerly in the Dal Zotto Collection in Venice, and datable to around 1720.¹  All three are composed of a clear foreground dominated by a wide, snow-covered path and crossed by a red-caped rider whose cloak pierces the white surroundings; each foreground is overlooked by two distinctive, bare, windswept and snow-laden trees.  In each of the paintings the figures around the mill busy themselves with different tasks - in this case they are presumably repairing the mill which has stopped working due to the obvious harsh, icy conditions.


The middle distance is comprised of a frozen river, which herders and their animals are trying to cross. The near bank is dominated by a watermill and turret, a motif that, with slight differences, features in all three works. A related drawing, of a similar compositional sturcture and including the watermiil, turret and a distant church, sold London, Christie's, 6 July 1999, lot 127 (see fig. 1). 



1. See A. Scarpa Sonino, Marco Ricci, Milan 1991, p. 120, cat. no. 25🅠, reproduced fig. 5, and pp. 133-34, cat. no. 93, reproduced fig. 44.