The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking South toward the Rialto Bridge

Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal)

1730s · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

These finely painted views of Venice come from a group of twenty identically sized works probably commissioned by Joseph Smith, the British consul in Venice from 1744 to 1760. Canaletto and his clients, particularly those from England, often thought of his works in series. This allowed them to assemble records of Venice’s sites, from its most famous squares to more obscure churches and palaces. Historians of architecture and urbanism can precisely identify the location of each composition (the Museum’s website entries for these works enumerate each in detail), but Canaletto often took strategic liberties in order to show the full facade of a given building or the best angle of view down a canal.

Artist

Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal)

Date

1730s

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019