Null Attributed to WILLIAM JAMES (doc. London 1746-1771).
"The Grand Canal of Ve…
Description

Attributed to WILLIAM JAMES (doc. London 1746-1771). "The Grand Canal of Venice, with a procession entering Santa Maria della Salute", 18th century. Oil on canvas. Original frame. Measurements: 75 x 126 cm; 86 x 137 cm (frame). We are in front of a Venetian veduta endowed with unusual virtuosity, both at compositional, technical and formal level. A wide panoramic view opens onto the great canal, flanked by the campanile of St Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace on the left, and the imposing church of Santa Maria della Salute on the right. Gondolas and boats of all kinds ply the canal. Precise detailing and narrative zeal are combined in the individualised description of the gondolas that cross the canal (some are humble, others are covered in gold, etc.), as well as the variety of characters (villagers, nobles, ecclesiastics making their way in procession towards the church door, etc.). A limpid sky illuminates the immense scene, giving shape to every detail: the sculpted figures in the niches, the rhythmic vibration of the water, the liturgical costumes... The art of the miniaturist harmonises with that of the landscape painter, following in the footsteps of the great master and inventor of the Venetian vedutismo genre, Canaletto (1697-1768). Canaletto lived in London between 1746 and 1756, thanks to the English consul Smith, who was responsible for the dissemination of the Grand Tour among the British. William James (active in London between 1746 and 1771) was a pupil of Canaletto's during this period, learning his style at first hand and producing several veduti without having visited the city. The present canvas shows numerous similarities with paintings by Canaletto such as Il gran Canal verso il bacino di san Marco and The Grand Canal with Santa Maria della Salute in the English Royal Collection. Similarly, the canvas by William James in the Francesco Borgogna Museum (Vercelli) entitled "Canal Grande e la chiesa della Salute" bears a close compositional resemblance, both in the variety of details and in the way it captures the clear, Mediterranean atmosphere.Few details of William James's career have survived (from Edward Edwards's compendium "Anecdotes of painters" 1808). We do know, however, that he was a pupil of Canaletto in London and exhibited in the English capital between 1761 and 1771 and that in 1766 he was a member of the Society of Artists, and it has also been possible to link his name with a number of paintings (both Venetian and London-themed) held in private collections around the world and important institutions such as the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Tennessee.

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Attributed to WILLIAM JAMES (doc. London 1746-1771). "The Grand Canal of Venice, with a procession entering Santa Maria della Salute", 18th century. Oil on canvas. Original frame. Measurements: 75 x 126 cm; 86 x 137 cm (frame). We are in front of a Venetian veduta endowed with unusual virtuosity, both at compositional, technical and formal level. A wide panoramic view opens onto the great canal, flanked by the campanile of St Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace on the left, and the imposing church of Santa Maria della Salute on the right. Gondolas and boats of all kinds ply the canal. Precise detailing and narrative zeal are combined in the individualised description of the gondolas that cross the canal (some are humble, others are covered in gold, etc.), as well as the variety of characters (villagers, nobles, ecclesiastics making their way in procession towards the church door, etc.). A limpid sky illuminates the immense scene, giving shape to every detail: the sculpted figures in the niches, the rhythmic vibration of the water, the liturgical costumes... The art of the miniaturist harmonises with that of the landscape painter, following in the footsteps of the great master and inventor of the Venetian vedutismo genre, Canaletto (1697-1768). Canaletto lived in London between 1746 and 1756, thanks to the English consul Smith, who was responsible for the dissemination of the Grand Tour among the British. William James (active in London between 1746 and 1771) was a pupil of Canaletto's during this period, learning his style at first hand and producing several veduti without having visited the city. The present canvas shows numerous similarities with paintings by Canaletto such as Il gran Canal verso il bacino di san Marco and The Grand Canal with Santa Maria della Salute in the English Royal Collection. Similarly, the canvas by William James in the Francesco Borgogna Museum (Vercelli) entitled "Canal Grande e la chiesa della Salute" bears a close compositional resemblance, both in the variety of details and in the way it captures the clear, Mediterranean atmosphere.Few details of William James's career have survived (from Edward Edwards's compendium "Anecdotes of painters" 1808). We do know, however, that he was a pupil of Canaletto in London and exhibited in the English capital between 1761 and 1771 and that in 1766 he was a member of the Society of Artists, and it has also been possible to link his name with a number of paintings (both Venetian and London-themed) held in private collections around the world and important institutions such as the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Tennessee.

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