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| Francesco Guardi Capriccio 18th century drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art |
In Patrons and Painters, Francis Haskell tells of the 18th-century Venetian Abate Giacomo della Lena, a modest art dealer and collector, who still managed to own more than thirty paintings by Francesco Guardi (1712-1793). "The enthusiasm that della Lena felt for this artist is rationalized in a letter that he wrote to the economist, Giuseppe Maria Ortes. The arts, he comments, are unlike the sciences. For in the arts fantasy must dominate and take precedence over the intellect. In other words, truth must be made to serve falsehood. What is of value and pleasurable in the arts is indirect and unformulated; while the value of the Sciences is clear and complete." Haskell continues, "It was only in such an atmosphere as this that Francesco Guardi, with his disregard for 'truth', could flourish, untroubled by the more literal-minded English, who demanded a clear and unimaginative rendering of what they saw with their own eyes."
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| Francesco Guardi Landscape with Arch 18th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Francesco Guardi Capriccio with Grand Staircase 18th century drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Francesco Guardi View with Obelisk 18th century Morgan Library, New York |
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| Francesco Guardi Landscape with Figures 18th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Francesco Guardi Capriccio with Colonnade 18th century drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Charles-Michel-Ange Challe Architectural Interior 18th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Charles-Michel-Ange Challe Architectural Capriccio 18th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Ennemond Alexandre Petitot Design for a Stage Curtain 1780s drawing National Gallery of Art (U.S.) |
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| Lorenzo Sacchetti Classical Arches on a Raised Terrace 18th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Giuseppe Valeriani Design for a Classical Facade 18th century Morgan Library, New York |
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| Giuseppe Valeriani Portion of a Circular Colonnade 18th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Luigi Vanvitelli Classical Architectural Vista 18th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Mauro Braccioli Ramparts 18th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |