Deutscher and Hackett

In the spring of 1907 Emanuel Phillips Fox and his artist wife Ethel Carrick left Paris for Venice for their honeymoon. Upon their return to Melbourne in 1908, Phillips Fox held an exhibition at the Guildhall in March which included On the Molo, Venice, 1907 and 12 other Venetian subjects, followed by an exhibition in Sydney at the Grosvenor Rooms in June. Melbourne sales were reported to be successful with four Venetian subjects selling to the Northcote family.¹ On the Molo, Venice was most likely sold during the Melbourne exhibition as it was not included in following Sydney selection. Ruth Zubans observed the immediate and painterly nature of the smaller Venetian panels, writing ‘Some of the Venetian studies are small poetic scenes with picturesque architecture, sailing boats and decorative figures painted quickly with a creamy brush… Some scenes with sunlight shimmering on the water, reveal a loosening of the surface, with more assertive strokes and freer colour…’²

‘The Molo’ denotes the historic stone waterfront entrance to Venice, a favoured subject of Canaletto during the 1730s. Nearby, dominating the eastern side of the adjoining Piazza San Marco, are located St Mark’s Basilica and the Venetian Gothic style Doge’s Palace – subjects which were also painted by Phillips Fox and similarly featured in the Guildhall, Melbourne exhibition.

1. The Bulletin, 12 March 1908, cited in Zubans, R., E. Phillips Fox: His Life and Art, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1995, p. 140
2. Zubans, op. cit., p. 138