Piazza San Marco, Venice, Seen from the South-west

Antonio Canal called Canaletto (1697-1768), pen and brown ink, with brown and grey wash, over a sketch in black chalk, c. 1755-1765

In the 18th century, Rome and Venice were flooded with tourists, mainly from England. Canaletto took full advantage of this with his charming drawn or painted cityscapes depicting the famous Venetian monuments. He probably sold his drawings as souvenirs while working on the streets. ‘By chance’ he would have with him a portfolio with all sorts of cityscapes he had previously drawn in his studio.

  • Artwork typedrawing
  • Object numberRP-T-1953-212
  • Dimensionsheight 355 mm x width 225 mm
  • Physical characteristicsschets in grafiet of zwart krijt, pen in bruin, penseel in grijs