In contrast to its pendant P497, the viewer is placed at the mouth of the Giudecca looking towards the church of San Giorgio, with the Molo and the Riva degli Schiavoni in the centre of the picture. Although ambitious in size, the execution of the pair is uneven in quality. The foreground figures have the vivacity of Canaletto’s personal touch, yet the draughtsmanship of some of the distant buildings is less crisp and controlled than is usual in his best works, suggesting some workshop assistance. The 1st Marquess of Hertford, who acquired the pictures, went on the Grand Tour (he is recorded in Rome in 1738 and Genoa in 1739), and it is easy to understand the appeal of such pictures, both as souvenirs and status symbols, to a man not otherwise noted for his interest in the arts.