Canaletto in Venice

Canaletto in Venice by Clayton, Martin. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781902163819.

The images of Venice created by Canaletto (1697-1768) are among the best-loved and most fascinating of all 18th-century paintings. During his lifetime, Canalettos paintings of the city of his birth found an immediate market amongst collectors, particularly the British nobility on the Grand Tour. In 1762 King George III acquired the worlds finest group of Canalettos works when he purchased the entire collection of Joseph Smith, the British Consul in Venice. This included an outstanding series of Canalettos Venetian views, amongst which were his paintings of the Grand Canal, and some 140 of Canalettos drawings. This book brings together 14 of Canalettos dazzling paintings of the Grand Canal, and 71 of his drawings of Venice and the lagoon. It features fascinating studies of life in 18th-century Venice, from canal-side workshops to the bustling festivities of Ascension Day around St marks Square, with the effects of sunlight, water and atmosphere exquisitely captured.