JOSEPH SMITH, GIOVANNI POLENI AND ANTONIO VISENTINI

Abstract

The character of Consul Joseph Smith of Venice, merchant and collector of objets d'art, has been variously assessed by different writers but the tendency on the whole has been to echo Horace Walpole who spoke of ‘the title-page of his understanding.’ A study of the Venetian Drawings in the Royal Collection today suffices to give this jibe the lie: nevertheless in the almost total absence of original correspondence it was difficult to disprove. On the contrary certain papers recently brought to light cast doubt on Smith's honesty so that his character was all the more liable to be impugned from every angle. Financially untrustworthy as he apparently was, there can be no doubt of his artistic integrity nor of his knowledge and ability as a scholar. He may have made money out of the Ricci and Canaletto but they too benefited from the association and he was instrumental in finding patrons for other artists and bringing them to the public notice. Furthermore he was at the centre of things in Venice and in touch with musical and literary as well as artistic circles. In fact everyone knew Smith; travellers who came to Venice went to see his collection; not all those who came were sufficiently learned to appreciate it and more than one, like Walpole, jibed. It is this point of view culled from the numerous memoirs—not the opinion of Venetians who really had the opportunity to know him—which is the most frequently quoted.