Venice: The Upper Reaches of the Grand Canal with S. Simeone Piccolo

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Canaletto’s sweeping view takes in everyday life on the Grand Canal. A stout helmsman stands aboard a finely decorated passenger barge to the left, while fishermen draw their nets in the centre. A boat carrying two women seems about to collide with one of the fishing vessels.

Across the canal to the left is the imposing church of San Simeone Piccolo, with its green copper dome. The church was inaugurated in April 1738, and Canaletto probably painted this view sometime afterwards – though there’s still a workmen’s hut beside the steps. Women and children gather nearby, and several other figures take a look at the new church.

The painting’s grand scale – it’s over two metres wide – is matched by the careful observation of crisp details, light effects and varied textures: shimmering roof tiles, crumbling facades and delicate ripples and reflections on the water.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Venice: The Upper Reaches of the Grand Canal with S. Simeone Piccolo

Date

about 1740

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 124.5 x W 204.6 cm

Accession number

NG163

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by Lord Farnborough, 1838

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

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