Carlo Grubacs (It., 1802-1878), View of Venice
oil on canvas, partial signature at lower left, stenciled "349" at lower right and on the verso, also with illegible inscription on the verso. Presented in a period appropriate gilt wood frame with applied composition ornament.
SS 18.25 x 26.25 in.; DOA 23 x 31 in.

The son of a ship's captain from Venice, Italy, Carlo Grubacs (or Grubac) attended the Academy of Fine Arts from 1818 and 1822. He participated in exhibitions presented by the Fine Arts in 1847, 1854, 1855, 1858, and 1864. Specializing in architectural views of Venice, this view of the Punta della Dogana with the old customs house and the domes of Maria della Salute, was a frequent favorite of Grubacs. His paintings, filled with figures in fashionable dress alongside traditional working class figures, continued the painting tradition of Guardi, Canelleto, and other fine and prolific 18th and 19th century artists active in Venice and popular due to the Grand Tour.
Estate of Captain Ben Blee, Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Estate of Col. Harry H. Blee, Middleburg, Virginia. Col. Blee was an Aeronautics engineer for the commerce department in the 1920s and an Air Force Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol During WWII. He was instrumental in designing and building the Dulles Airport in DC and became close friends with Clem Conger, the curator of the White House during that time. Both Col. Blee and his wife enjoyed traveling and acquired this painting in the 1950s.