GIOVANNI ANTONIO CANAL detto IL CANALETTO (seguace di)

(Venice, 1697 - 1768) View of the Pier towards Riva degli Schiavoni, with the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Column Oil on canvas, 57.5X118 cm. Provenance: Florence, private collection The Molo di San Marco with the Riva degli Schiavoni was a favorite theme of Venetian vedutisti and repeatedly tackled by Giovanni Antonio Canal and in turn popularized thanks to Antonio Visentini's engravings published in the Urbis Venetiarum Prospectus Celebriores collection of 1742. The point of view, in fact, offered a formidable glimpse, allowing unparalleled descriptive freedom, not only of the city, but especially of vibrant Venetian life. The illustrative fortune, moreover, is measured by the many Canaletti-inspired canvases made during the 18th and early 19th centuries as luxury souvenirs intended for aristocrats, especially Englishmen, who desired a precious memento of their Grand Tour.