Processing
Oil pictography on canvas ‘Retouch’ prepared with natural chalk primer and glue. Use of magnifying glass for details. Hand-painted with Maimeri and Winsor and & Newton paints. Carved solid wood frame. Bolus preparation; gold leaf gilding. Framed picture size: 59x87 cm.
History
The work was probably made for the English market, in particular for Joseph Smith, the British consul in Venice and a great collector of Canaletto. Smith promoted many of his works, contributing to his international fame. A masterpiece of 18th-century Venetian vedutistica, the painting depicts the Grand Canal with its elegant architecture and numerous boats, capturing the light and atmosphere of the lagoon city with extraordinary precision; the work shows Venice at a time of lively commercial and daily activity, a detail much appreciated by foreign collectors. Canaletto used the camera ottica, an instrument that helped to draw perfect perspectives and minute architectural details. The sky with light clouds and water reflections are rendered with a technique that gives great realism and depth.
Canaletto, View of the Grand Canal (RETOUCH)