Its surface illuminated by brightly coloured lanterns, the Grand Canal in Venice is shown here during the night-time celebrations preceding the procession of the Festa del Redentore, an annual feast that celebrates the end of a plague in the sixteenth century. Prendergast was one of a number of American artists who flocked to Italy at the end of the nineteenth century; many of his watercolours reveal the influence of Japanese woodblock prints, apparent here in the stylised patterns of light playing over the dark surface of the water.

A mosaic of this scene by Prendergast passed through Kraushaar Galleries (New York) in July 1955.

by descent to the artist's brother, Charles Prendergast, Connecticut (1863-1948); purchased from him by Kraushaar Galleries (New York); purchased there by Miss Lucy S. Greene, Cleveland, 1927; purchased back from her by Kraushaar Galleries (New York), purchased there by Mr and Mrs Charles C. Cunningham, 1950, Boston and Hartford; Cunningham Bequest 1981, in memory of Professor W.G. Constable

Drawings Gallery Display - Unseen, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 15/01/2015-29/03/2015

Prendergast in Italy, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 18/07/2009-20/09/2009; Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Venice, 10/10/2009-10/01/2010; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 14/02/2010-09/05/2010

Watercolours by Maurice Prendergast from New England Collections, Clark Art Institute & Williamstown & USA, 1978 ...More

Prendergast in Italy, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice and Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 2009-10
cat. no. 727
fig. 53 on p. 49

Clark, Carol with Nancy Mowll Mathews, Gwendolyn Owens and Milton Brown, Maurice Brazil Prendergast, Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné, Williamstown, Massachusetts and Munich 1990
no. 727
p. 390

McTavish, David, Canadian Artists in Venice 1830–1930, Kingston, Ontario, Queen's University 1984
p. 20
ill. ...More

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Collector's mark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower right corner, dark blue watercolour, signed by the artist: “Prendergast”. Verso: upper right edge, graphite: “ill”; upper centre, graphite: “Festival night, Venice / * 63- / sun //”; lower right corner, graphite, upside down, crossed out: “No 30”.

Label: Removed from the former mount and now in the file: printed in black ink with additions in pen and brown ink: “From KRAUSHAAR GALLERIES / 32 EAST 57th STREET . NEW YORK 22 / “Festival Night, Venice” / Water color by MAURICE PRENDERGAST / Prendergast made a mosaic of this / subject which was owned by Kraushaar / Galleries in July, 1955. //”; printed in black ink: “18 FESTIVAL NIGHT, VENICE, c. 1898-99 / WATERCOLOR OVER GRAPHITE / LENT ANONYMOUSLY / TR463/78 //”; printed and typewritten in black ink and labelled “39” in pen and black ink: “Prendergast Centennial Exhibition / 1960-1961 / Title Festival Night, Venice / Cat. No. 71 1878-9 / Lender Mr. & Mrs. Charles Cunningham / Address 25 Atheneum Square North / Hartford, Connecticut //”; printed in black ink: “STERLING AND FRANCINE CLARK ART INSTITUTE / WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS 01267 / WATERCOLOURS BY MAURICE PRENDERGAST / FROM NEW ENGLAND COLLECTIONS / Owner: Mr. Charles C. Cunningham / Festival Night, Venice / Sterling and Francine Clark / Art Institute / TR No. 463/78 Temp. Reg. No. 79.80.38 //”.