Giovanni Antonio Canal, genannt „Canaletto“, 1697 Venedig – 1768 ARCHITECTURAL CAPRICCIO WITH TEMPLE COLUMNS AND THE ARENA OF VERONA Oil on canvas. 72.2 x 105 cm. The painting is accompanied by three expert opinions which unanimously confirm Canaletto's authorship: Roberto Longhi, Florence, 1969; Giuseppe Fiocco Francesco Arcangeli, 1979 and Dario Succi, February 2021. each in copy. One of the characteristics of ruin capricci is the imaginative enrichment of mostly well-known ancient main buildings with architectural details that are intended to visualize a vanished world. The composition of the ruined buildings rarely corresponds to their true state at the time of the painter. On the other hand, the aim is to offer a glimpse into history while at the same time demonstrating transience. The painter has placed the Roman Arena of Verona, built in 30 AD, almost in the center of the picture. In earlier descriptions of the painting, the building was mistakenly seen as the Roman Colosseum. However, it can be recognized as the Arena of Verona due to the superstructure of the third round-arched storey ("ala" wing), which is also visible here. Unlike the real location, however, the painter has placed the enormous building on a hill in order to offer a view of the city below. Here, too, offset elements play imaginatively together, which, with a dome, can in no way be assigned to the city of Verona. At this point, studies have revealed some pentimenti, according to which the dome was positioned closer to the columns in the underpainting. This shows how Canaletto ultimately sought to achieve the best possible effect. The columns of the temple, the marble figure in front of it and the cornice fragments on the floor, as well as the pool of water on the left of the picture, are also far removed from reality. The two men dressed in Oriental costume, who are looking at the marble statue with interest while they themselves are being observed by an Italian woman with a child, are worthy of note. In this high quality, the painting style differs significantly from many of the master's other works, some of which repeat the same theme. What is striking is the precise, extremely detailed treatment of the arena, in deliberate contrast to the other pictorial elements, such as ruins, shrubbery or figural staffage, painted with virtuoso brushwork. In his expertise, Dario Succi placed the painting in the vicinity of the present work as a group of paintings entitled "Capriccio con monumenti in rovina e veduta padovana" (listed in Constable and Links, Canaletto, 1989, n. 496). According to the expert opinion, the painting is dated to around 1740, i.e. before Canal went to England for ten years, where he was supported by the Duke of Richmond. He then spent the last years of his life back in Venice, a phase in which his paintings became darker. (1401255) (11) Giovanni Antonio Canal, also known as "Canaletto", 1697 Venice - 1768 ARCHITECTURAL CAPRICCIO WITH TEMPLE COLUMNS AND ARENA IN VERONA Oil on canvas. 72.2 x 105 cm. The painting is accompanied by three expert's reports, which all identify Canaletto as the creator of the present work: Roberto Longhi, Florence, 1969; Giuseppe Fiocco Francesco Arcangeli, 1979; Dario Succi, February 2021, each in copy. One of the characteristics of ruin capriccios is the imaginative elaboration of mostly famous ancient buildings with architectural details that are intended to visualize a lost world. The composition of the ruinous buildings rarely corresponds to the true condition of the painter's time. By contrast, a look back into history is supposed to visualize transience. The painter has placed the Roman Arena of Verona, built in 30AD, almost at the painting's center. In previous descriptions of the painting, the building was erroneously regarded as the Colosseum in Rome. However, it can be identified as the Arena of Verona due to the structure of the third arched floor (known as the "ala" wing), which is also depicted here. In contrast to the arena's real location, the painter has positioned the huge building on a hill to provide a view of the city below. The artist also includes architectural set pieces such as a domed structure, which do not correspond with actual buildings in Verona. In this area, investigations revealed some pentimenti, according to which the dome was positioned closer to the columns in the underpainting. This highlights how Canaletto ultimately sought to achieve the best possible effect. Far removed from reality are also the columns of the temple with a marble figure in front of it, the cornice fragments on the ground and the water pond on the left of the painting. Noteworthy are the two men dressed in Oriental clothing who are looking with interest at the marble statue while they themselves are being watched by an Italian woman with a child. The high quality of the painting style here differs significantly from many of the master's other works