View of Venice Grand Canal Seascape, 1790, Oil on Canvas

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Eighteenth-Century Landscape Painter

View of Venice with the Grand Canal, the Punta della Dogana with the Basilica of Santa Maria … Read more Eighteenth-Century Landscape Painter

View of Venice with the Grand Canal, the Punta della Dogana with the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute on the left, the Palazzo della Zecca with the Ponte della Pescaria and the Granai on the right

Oil on canvas
36 x 45 cm - framed 52 x 62 cm.

This pleasant view, an excellent example of eighteenth-century landscape painting, offers one of the most unique views of Venice, here admirably enlivened by the presence of small figures.

In particular, we see the entrance to the Grand Canal, with the Punta della Dogana, from which the two domes of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute rise, undoubtedly the most recognizable building, on the left, along with the seminary building and the Dogana da Mar complex.

On the opposite side of the canal, teeming with boats, the old Mint building, overlooking the pier of San Marco, built in the 16th century to a design by Jacopo Sansovino and now part of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. Next, the Ponte della Precaria and the imposing Granai building.

Well executed, characterized by a striking luminosity and a color palette of vibrant hues highlighted by the contrast between light and shadow, the canvas is a highly interesting testimony to 18th-century Venice.

We can attribute its authorship to an 18th-century artist, inspired by the pictorial style of Italian Vedutisti, and whose iconography was presumably drawn from the numerous perspective view prints created using camera obscuras.

In particular, the view of Venice immortalized in our painting derives, albeit with variations, from a print published by Luca Carlevaris in 1703* and titled View of the Mint above the Pescaria.

This print, part of a valuable collection entitled "The Buildings and Views of Venice Drawn, Perspectived, and Engraved by Luca Carlevaris" (Reale 1995, pp. 17-47), of over 100 depictions, constituted the starting point and fundamental model for Venetian vedutism throughout the 18th century.

Thus, our composition, like countless others, was borrowed from the greatest painters of the 18th century, including Marieschi, Canaletto, Bellotto, and Gabriele Bella.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is presented in a beautiful gilded frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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