Completed British 19th C, except portraits, Maritime Subjects 13 Who painted 'Italian Lake Scene', if not by Stanfield?

I told the Sheffield Museum through BBC Your Paintings that this was a view of the Fondamenta Zattere quite some time ago! - long before the arrival of Art Detective

Could it be an autograph sketch as in this work: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/small-seascape-41703

There are some differences between the two works, for example the figure in the left foreground by the basket in the finished work but not here.

I think that Al Brown is right about it being autograph. Would a copyist adopt a totally different colour scheme? Stansfield's two paintings of Oude Schelde, Texel Island, looking towards Nieuwe Diep and the Zuyder Zee, one larger than the other, also have very different colour schemes, although their compositions are the same. In this case the larger picture in the Tate was exhibited in 1844. Many artists of this period repeated compositions on a smaller scale for the market. It seems likely that both the Sheffield picture and the Government Art Collection Oude Schelde are examples of this practice. They are surely too finished to be sketches.
If they had been earlier in date one might have posited that the smaller versions were painted first and shown to a possible patron, the artist telling his client that he could paint a larger version for him.

I should have mentioned another possible explanation for the two versions of the same compositions. If these two pictures were both engraved , Stanfield may have needed to paint the smaller pictures for the engraver to work from in his studio. - in which case the choice of different colour schemes may also be connected to how Stanfield wished them to look tonally in the engravings.

Looking at the enlarged image on Your Paintings (http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/italian-lake-scene-71272) the poor, 'sketchy' quality is more evident. It's very hard to believe it could be by Stanfield.

I concur with Peter's original opinion when he first submitted the proposed discussion, that this is a poor copy of Stanfield's original in the Tate. I recommend the discussion is closed.

I agree with Andrew: this is simply 'after Stanfield' and the likelihood of identifying who did it is practically non-existent. (There are quite a lot of 'definitely nots' and 'doubtfuls' in the Stanfield list, including the one Al Brown cited for comparison -which is in the latter category- at the start of this exchange.)

Hello Pieter,

what a pleasure to meet the absolute expert, when it comes to marine paintings and especially works of Stanfield, here!
I agree with you, that this is a very bad copy of one of Stanfiels paintings. As i am interested in Stanfield senior and junior since many years, I saw a horrible list of bad copies and attributions over the years. Unfortunately not only in auctions, but even in museums. Like here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/north-italian-coastal-scene
and here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/river-scene-21556
(thes last one showing Cologne on the rhine, not just "a river scene", by the way).

I found it interesting, that this special subject of the "Italian Lake Scene" was copied so often. Several of the copies show the white building in the middle a bit closer, and some more people hanging around on the left.

Cheers
Elmar

PS: If you visit Berlin in the near or far future, drop me a line. I would be glad to show you my Stanfields..

Hi Elmar
Just to note - if you believe certain attributions to be incorrect please do propose a discussion through Your Paintings, click on the Art Detective link at the side of the painting.
Many thanks.

We have changed our records to ‘after Stanfield’ and the title to 'The Canal of the Giudecca, and the Church of the Gesuati, Venice'. We would be very happy for Your Paintings to change this information also.

I have now made the changes to the record. Would the Group Leaders advise this discussion should now be closed?

Fine, though as in the note I sent yesterday, it would be useful under 'Additional information' to have the note: 'The original painting by Stanfield is in the Vernon Collection, Tate Britain (Tate N00 4007)'