CANALETTO (1697-1768)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : 18th century painting Venice
Chronology : 1730-1739 1740-1749 1750-1759
See also : 18th century painting Venice
Chronology : 1730-1739 1740-1749 1750-1759
breakthrough
1723 Piazza San Marco
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
When the British invented tourism, they wanted to keep the memory of their travels in their rich mansions. Thus a wealthy clientele commissioned Canaletto, who was the best of the Venetian vedutisti.
Canaletto was not the first artist to paint realistic cityscapes of Venice. Gaspar Van Wittel (Vanvitelli), perhaps better known for his views of Rome, had preceded him. But the accuracy and realism of the views by Canaletto, who composed his paintings with a camera obscura, are unsurpassed. He also had as a predecessor Gerrit Berckheyde who represented Haarlem in the seventeenth century.
Canaletto had a wonderful city as a model, and viewpoints from where he made his works are endless.
An oil on canvas of very large size 142 x 205 cm is the breakthrough of Canaletto's views of Venice. It features the Piazza San Marco from the tower of San Geminiano. The view is dated 1723 from the progress in the rework of the pavement. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Canaletto was not the first artist to paint realistic cityscapes of Venice. Gaspar Van Wittel (Vanvitelli), perhaps better known for his views of Rome, had preceded him. But the accuracy and realism of the views by Canaletto, who composed his paintings with a camera obscura, are unsurpassed. He also had as a predecessor Gerrit Berckheyde who represented Haarlem in the seventeenth century.
Canaletto had a wonderful city as a model, and viewpoints from where he made his works are endless.
An oil on canvas of very large size 142 x 205 cm is the breakthrough of Canaletto's views of Venice. It features the Piazza San Marco from the tower of San Geminiano. The view is dated 1723 from the progress in the rework of the pavement. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
the Walpole pendants
1
1733 Canal Grande between Balbi and Rialto
2005 SOLD for £ 18.6 M by Sotheby's
Appearing as a successor to Carlevarijs, Canaletto managed very early to attract foreign customers. His themes are touristic, in a wide variety of views for displaying Venice in its whole historical and social diversity.
Around 1723, he paints two very large views, 141 x 204 cm and 144 x 207 cm, certainly as pendants for a single client who may be the prince of Liechtenstein.
He chooses the panoramic view of the Piazza San Marco with the basilica to illustrate the grandiose architecture, and the view of the Grand Canal between Palazzo Balbi and the Rialto bridge to show the life on the gondolas. The canal rotates at a right angle at that place. It is seen from full front when we look through a window from one of the three floors of the Palazzo Foscari.
On July 7, 2005, Sotheby's sold for £ 18.6M from a lower estimate of £ 6M a view of the Grand Canal between Balbi and Rialto, in excellent condition, lot 47. This oil on canvas 86 x 138 cm is dated around 1733 by considerations of style, and is the very last large size example painted by Canaletto with this specific position. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The provenance of this painting was reconstructed before the sale. It had been listed as early as 1736 in the collection of Robert Walpole, who was as First Lord of the Treasury the very first British statesman to exercise the function of a prime minister. Walpole belonged to the whig party opposed to royal absolutism and certainly considered Venice, which he had not visited, as a model of a republican regime.
Around 1723, he paints two very large views, 141 x 204 cm and 144 x 207 cm, certainly as pendants for a single client who may be the prince of Liechtenstein.
He chooses the panoramic view of the Piazza San Marco with the basilica to illustrate the grandiose architecture, and the view of the Grand Canal between Palazzo Balbi and the Rialto bridge to show the life on the gondolas. The canal rotates at a right angle at that place. It is seen from full front when we look through a window from one of the three floors of the Palazzo Foscari.
On July 7, 2005, Sotheby's sold for £ 18.6M from a lower estimate of £ 6M a view of the Grand Canal between Balbi and Rialto, in excellent condition, lot 47. This oil on canvas 86 x 138 cm is dated around 1733 by considerations of style, and is the very last large size example painted by Canaletto with this specific position. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The provenance of this painting was reconstructed before the sale. It had been listed as early as 1736 in the collection of Robert Walpole, who was as First Lord of the Treasury the very first British statesman to exercise the function of a prime minister. Walpole belonged to the whig party opposed to royal absolutism and certainly considered Venice, which he had not visited, as a model of a republican regime.
2
1732 Return of the Bucentaur on Ascension Day
1993 SOLD for FF 66M before fees by Ader Tajan
2025 for sale on July 1 by Christie's
Two large size views of Venice by Canaletto were listed in the 1736 manuscript catalogue of Sir Robert Walpole's pictures in Downing Street, Westminster, the residence offered in 1732 by King George II to Walpole.
In the same format, 86 x 138 cm, these oil on canvas were certainly used as pendants although the date of their reception in the collection is not known. They feature an opposite animation that highlights the extent of skills of the artist in his mid thirties.
The view of the Grand Canal, sold for £ 18.6M by Sotheby's in 2005, is quiet with its gondolas in a nearly resting position. The Celebration of the Bucentaur on Ascension day is active, with rowers hurrying small crowded boats on the Bacino to the Mole, place of the celebration, in a superb accuracy.
Until its destruction by Napoléon in 1798, the Bucentaur was the festive symbol of Venice. On Ascension day since 1178, this huge state barge with two decks, 35 m long and 8.5 m high propelled by 168 oarsmen, escorted the Doge and the highest dignitaries. The Doge blessed the sea and threw a golden ring in the Adriatic. During the rest of the year the boat remained at the Arsenal.
Unlike his predecessor Carlevarijs, Canaletto is not interested in official celebrations. He prefers to observe everyday life in all the variety of costumes and occupations of this cosmopolitan city. The ambiance of Ascension day is very specific and he does not disdain the subject, but the Bucentaur, while perfectly recognizable, is always far behind the bustling quay and the well-loaded gondolas.
This view painted ca 1732 was separated from its pendant just before being sold for FF 66M, later worth € 10M, before fees by Ader Tajan on December 15, 1993, lot 13. The Walpole provenance was not identified at that time. It will be sold by Christie's on July 1, 2025, lot 8. The impasto of many of the figures is beautifully preserved.
In the same format, 86 x 138 cm, these oil on canvas were certainly used as pendants although the date of their reception in the collection is not known. They feature an opposite animation that highlights the extent of skills of the artist in his mid thirties.
The view of the Grand Canal, sold for £ 18.6M by Sotheby's in 2005, is quiet with its gondolas in a nearly resting position. The Celebration of the Bucentaur on Ascension day is active, with rowers hurrying small crowded boats on the Bacino to the Mole, place of the celebration, in a superb accuracy.
Until its destruction by Napoléon in 1798, the Bucentaur was the festive symbol of Venice. On Ascension day since 1178, this huge state barge with two decks, 35 m long and 8.5 m high propelled by 168 oarsmen, escorted the Doge and the highest dignitaries. The Doge blessed the sea and threw a golden ring in the Adriatic. During the rest of the year the boat remained at the Arsenal.
Unlike his predecessor Carlevarijs, Canaletto is not interested in official celebrations. He prefers to observe everyday life in all the variety of costumes and occupations of this cosmopolitan city. The ambiance of Ascension day is very specific and he does not disdain the subject, but the Bucentaur, while perfectly recognizable, is always far behind the bustling quay and the well-loaded gondolas.
This view painted ca 1732 was separated from its pendant just before being sold for FF 66M, later worth € 10M, before fees by Ader Tajan on December 15, 1993, lot 13. The Walpole provenance was not identified at that time. It will be sold by Christie's on July 1, 2025, lot 8. The impasto of many of the figures is beautifully preserved.
Is this the finest work by Canaletto remaining in private hands? Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day was formerly in the collection of Britain’s first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, who hung the painting in 10 Downing Street: https://t.co/w90YveMG2T pic.twitter.com/bocdh0BQEe
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 25, 2025
1733 pair of views: Grand Canal and the Molo
2023 SOLD for £ 9.7M by Christie's
A pair of views of Venice by Canaletto was probably part of a 1733 commission of four for the countess of Essex. She was the sister of the 4th Duke of Bedford who was a major early patron of the artist. The set was dispatched in 1734 by Canaletto's agent Joseph Smith and separated at Christie's in 1777 by the earl of Essex.
They pair for sale represents the mouth of the Grand Canal from the East, and the Molo with the Piazzetta and the Doge’s Palace from the Bacino. In the best style of the artist, each of them displays an open foreground of water with an animation of busy boats plus recognizable top Venetian monuments on the shore or behind.
The views of the return of the Bucintoro on Ascension day are a close variant to the Molo view in that pair, considered by the artist from 1729.
This pair in oil on canvas 47 x 78 cm each was sold for £ 9.7M by Christie's on December 7, 2023, lot 11. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The two other pictures of the quartet are not identified.
They pair for sale represents the mouth of the Grand Canal from the East, and the Molo with the Piazzetta and the Doge’s Palace from the Bacino. In the best style of the artist, each of them displays an open foreground of water with an animation of busy boats plus recognizable top Venetian monuments on the shore or behind.
The views of the return of the Bucintoro on Ascension day are a close variant to the Molo view in that pair, considered by the artist from 1729.
This pair in oil on canvas 47 x 78 cm each was sold for £ 9.7M by Christie's on December 7, 2023, lot 11. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The two other pictures of the quartet are not identified.
#AuctionUpdate #Canaletto's 'Venice: The Mouth of the Grand Canal from the East; and The Molo, with the Piazzetta and the Doge's Palace, from the Bacino' sold for £9,740,000: https://t.co/5JNGXfbgFA
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) December 7, 2023
pic.twitter.com/ZRI2VMnEHz
early 1730s Piazza San Marco
2022 SOLD for $ 10.5M by Christie's
The overview of the Piazza San Marco looking towards the Basilica is a favorite theme for Canaletto and his customers. It was taken from he tower of the church of San Geminiano, providing a wide open bird’s-eye view.
About 1723, a painting nearly 2 meters wide is one of his earliest masterpieces.
In the early 1730s, Canaletto works better on the effects of light and shadow. The sunny atmosphere of the Piazza is perfect in the oil on canvas 59 x 92 cm sold for £ 5.5M by Sotheby's on December 3, 2014, lot 11. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. It was sold for $ 10.5M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 24.
The topographical accuracy of the monuments is very good. Their symmetry has been improved for a more pleasing effect. On the right side of the Piazza, a sharp shadow going straight to the Campanile disrupts that symmetry.
Canaletto displayed the Piazza as the actual center of activity in the city. The Venetians walk to their occupations, alone or in groups, wealthy or workers, children and even dogs. Laundry is drying on some palace windows. Market stalls are installed in front of the Basilica.
About 1723, a painting nearly 2 meters wide is one of his earliest masterpieces.
In the early 1730s, Canaletto works better on the effects of light and shadow. The sunny atmosphere of the Piazza is perfect in the oil on canvas 59 x 92 cm sold for £ 5.5M by Sotheby's on December 3, 2014, lot 11. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. It was sold for $ 10.5M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 24.
The topographical accuracy of the monuments is very good. Their symmetry has been improved for a more pleasing effect. On the right side of the Piazza, a sharp shadow going straight to the Campanile disrupts that symmetry.
Canaletto displayed the Piazza as the actual center of activity in the city. The Venetians walk to their occupations, alone or in groups, wealthy or workers, children and even dogs. Laundry is drying on some palace windows. Market stalls are installed in front of the Basilica.
mid to later 1730s Canal Grande at San Stae
2022 SOLD for $ 11.8M by Christie's
Canaletto had in Joseph Smith a highly influential protector and agent who offered him the access to the market of English travelers.
The artist went to execute extended series of views with seldom depicted viewpoints that matched the pre-romantic mood. He made after 1735 a series of 24 pictures later kept at Woburn Abbey and a series of 21 pictures for the Duke of Marlborough.
Smith kept many views in his house. For his business, he made printed two series by Vicentini, from 14 paintings in 1735 and from 24 in 1742.
A view of the Canal Grande looking south east from San Stae to the Fabbriche Nuove di Rialto, oil on canvas 47 x 78 cm painted by Canaletto, was sold for $ 11.8M from a lower estimate of $ 2.5M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 55. One of the palazzi in this picture will be acquired by Smith in 1740.
The only other example of this view by Canaletto is in the Marlborough series. From that one, the artist made the major topographic improvement of raising the viewpoint to bird's eye at about 6 m over water level. The artist took care to modify accordingly the angles of the monuments. The improved view was included in the 1742 series of prints.
The artist went to execute extended series of views with seldom depicted viewpoints that matched the pre-romantic mood. He made after 1735 a series of 24 pictures later kept at Woburn Abbey and a series of 21 pictures for the Duke of Marlborough.
Smith kept many views in his house. For his business, he made printed two series by Vicentini, from 14 paintings in 1735 and from 24 in 1742.
A view of the Canal Grande looking south east from San Stae to the Fabbriche Nuove di Rialto, oil on canvas 47 x 78 cm painted by Canaletto, was sold for $ 11.8M from a lower estimate of $ 2.5M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 55. One of the palazzi in this picture will be acquired by Smith in 1740.
The only other example of this view by Canaletto is in the Marlborough series. From that one, the artist made the major topographic improvement of raising the viewpoint to bird's eye at about 6 m over water level. The artist took care to modify accordingly the angles of the monuments. The improved view was included in the 1742 series of prints.
1730s Molo from the Bacino
2013 SOLD for £ 8.5M by Christie's
For three centuries, tourists are captivated by the view of Venice from San Marco basin. The concentration of monuments is unique, and they are magnificent.
Carlevarijs transfered to Venice the tradition of the paintings of views already appreciated in Rome by the English tourists. In Venice, the Molo is logically their favorite subject.
Canaletto learned his craft from Carlevarijs. He added very realistic details of monuments with high care brought to the relative position of the buildings and the beauty of light.
Tourists love monuments but also festivals, and precisely the feast of the Bucentaur happens on the sea. In the 1730s, the large format compositions of Bucentaur Day when the basin is covered with boats and gondolas are the masterpieces by Canaletto.
They are supplemented by smaller formats for ordinary days, where the animation is almost similar but more laborious than contemplative. An oil on canvas of this period in middle size format, 69 x 113 cm, was sold for £ 8.5M from a lower estimate of £ 4M by Christie's on July 2, 2013.
This view is even a rare opportunity within this theme for showing an anecdotal detail. In the foreground, a boatman makes a desperate attempt to avoid a collision with another boat. Traffic accidents are not exclusive to our automotive civilization!.
Carlevarijs transfered to Venice the tradition of the paintings of views already appreciated in Rome by the English tourists. In Venice, the Molo is logically their favorite subject.
Canaletto learned his craft from Carlevarijs. He added very realistic details of monuments with high care brought to the relative position of the buildings and the beauty of light.
Tourists love monuments but also festivals, and precisely the feast of the Bucentaur happens on the sea. In the 1730s, the large format compositions of Bucentaur Day when the basin is covered with boats and gondolas are the masterpieces by Canaletto.
They are supplemented by smaller formats for ordinary days, where the animation is almost similar but more laborious than contemplative. An oil on canvas of this period in middle size format, 69 x 113 cm, was sold for £ 8.5M from a lower estimate of £ 4M by Christie's on July 2, 2013.
This view is even a rare opportunity within this theme for showing an anecdotal detail. In the foreground, a boatman makes a desperate attempt to avoid a collision with another boat. Traffic accidents are not exclusive to our automotive civilization!.
#Canaletto was born on this day in Venice, 1697. ‘The Molo, Venice, from the Bacino di San Marco’, achieved £8,461,875 in our Old Masters sale of July 2013, London. pic.twitter.com/FlLEqkys1w
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) October 18, 2018
1738 Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo
2000 SOLD for £ 7.7M by Christie's
A group of four oils on canvas 47 x 78 cm by Canaletto was supplied by Smith in 1738 to one of his English customers. Two of them were separated several decades ago, including a view of Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, which was later sold for £ 7.7M from a lower estimate of £ 3M by Christie's on December 13, 2000, lot 104.
On December 2, 2008, Christie's listed two of the four views. Both are animated, respectively by walkers and gondolas. La Piazzetta was not sold. The Grand Canal was sold for £ 3.8M.
On December 2, 2008, Christie's listed two of the four views. Both are animated, respectively by walkers and gondolas. La Piazzetta was not sold. The Grand Canal was sold for £ 3.8M.
1738-1739 pair of views: Piazza San Marco and Canal Grande
2013 SOLD for £ 9.6 M£ by Sotheby's
With the orders carried out successively for the Dukes of Bedford and Marlborough, respectively 24 and 20 oil paintings, Canaletto enjoyed the consecration of his art.
In the late 1730s, his best works are altogether the most realistic topographic views of the monuments of Venice, a sunny atmosphere that appeals to tourists and the summary of all aspects of everyday life in the city. The great skill of this artist is to provide a perfect balance between all these topics.
A pair of canvas painted in 1738 or 1739 in his most usual format, 47 x 77 cm, displays on one of them the Piazza San Marco and for the other the Canal Grande to the Rialto. These two focal points of the Venetian activity are the best excuse to offer a picturesque scenery with unlimited entertainment.
The first customer of this pair has not been identified. The fact that they deal with the two most classic Venetian views may suggest that they were not extracted from a larger set. Their condition is pristine. This lot was sold for £ 9.6M from a lower estimate of £ 8M by Sotheby's on December 4, 2013, lot 39. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This period marks the greater maturity of the art of Canaletto when he teaches his craft to a gifted apprentice, his young nephew Bernardo Bellotto, causing a healthy rivalry between the two artists.
In the late 1730s, his best works are altogether the most realistic topographic views of the monuments of Venice, a sunny atmosphere that appeals to tourists and the summary of all aspects of everyday life in the city. The great skill of this artist is to provide a perfect balance between all these topics.
A pair of canvas painted in 1738 or 1739 in his most usual format, 47 x 77 cm, displays on one of them the Piazza San Marco and for the other the Canal Grande to the Rialto. These two focal points of the Venetian activity are the best excuse to offer a picturesque scenery with unlimited entertainment.
The first customer of this pair has not been identified. The fact that they deal with the two most classic Venetian views may suggest that they were not extracted from a larger set. Their condition is pristine. This lot was sold for £ 9.6M from a lower estimate of £ 8M by Sotheby's on December 4, 2013, lot 39. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This period marks the greater maturity of the art of Canaletto when he teaches his craft to a gifted apprentice, his young nephew Bernardo Bellotto, causing a healthy rivalry between the two artists.
1749 The Horse Guards in London
1992 SOLD for £ 10M by Christie's
Canaletto sold his views of Venice to British tourists who were very active in the 1730s. When the Austrian Succession War reduced the travel opportunities of his patrons, he moved his studio to London, in 1746.
Being a foreigner in this big city in perpetual transformation, he did not try to express the atmosphere of remote districts and focused on a limited number of topics including the banks of the Thames and the great plaza of St. James's Park in Westminster.
The view of the Horse Guards across St. James's is one of his masterpieces by its monumental size, 117 x 236 cm. This oil on canvas was sold for £ 10M by Christie's on April 15, 1992. It is currently on long-term loan to the Tate Gallery by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Canaletto displays the old red brick building of the Horse Guards. Two sketches that have been preserved assess that the artist had been appealed by the announcement of the imminent destruction of the building in 1749. The oil on canvas was probably painted in May or June 1749 and was certainly the view of St. James's Park advertised by the artist in July 1749 as a demonstrator of his art for his visitors.
A smaller painting, 47 x 77 cm, has also be made in the same period. It is less panoramic and better focused on the Old Horse Guards and on the spring green of the Park. It had been sold for £ 1.1M by Christie's on July 4, 1997, lot 121, and passed at Sotheby's on January 29, 2015, lot 98.
Really passionate about this fate of a monument, Canaletto observed again this scenery three years later with the scaffolding of the new building. This oil on panel 59 x 110 cm passed in 2012 at Dorotheum on October 17, 2012.
Being a foreigner in this big city in perpetual transformation, he did not try to express the atmosphere of remote districts and focused on a limited number of topics including the banks of the Thames and the great plaza of St. James's Park in Westminster.
The view of the Horse Guards across St. James's is one of his masterpieces by its monumental size, 117 x 236 cm. This oil on canvas was sold for £ 10M by Christie's on April 15, 1992. It is currently on long-term loan to the Tate Gallery by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Canaletto displays the old red brick building of the Horse Guards. Two sketches that have been preserved assess that the artist had been appealed by the announcement of the imminent destruction of the building in 1749. The oil on canvas was probably painted in May or June 1749 and was certainly the view of St. James's Park advertised by the artist in July 1749 as a demonstrator of his art for his visitors.
A smaller painting, 47 x 77 cm, has also be made in the same period. It is less panoramic and better focused on the Old Horse Guards and on the spring green of the Park. It had been sold for £ 1.1M by Christie's on July 4, 1997, lot 121, and passed at Sotheby's on January 29, 2015, lot 98.
Really passionate about this fate of a monument, Canaletto observed again this scenery three years later with the scaffolding of the new building. This oil on panel 59 x 110 cm passed in 2012 at Dorotheum on October 17, 2012.
1754 Bucentaur
2005 SOLD for £ 11.4M by Christie's
On July 6, 2005 at lot 20, Christie's sold for £ 11.4M from a lower estimate of £ 4M a view taken from the Riva degli Schiavoni, in the superb light of the end of the day, with the Bucentaur docked at the Molo. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This 152 x 138 cm oil on canvas was painted ca 1754. Canaletto, settled in London since 1746, certainly responded to a specific request from an English aristocrat who will be its first owner. The canvas is still in its period frame of English style, carved, pierced and gilded.
This 152 x 138 cm oil on canvas was painted ca 1754. Canaletto, settled in London since 1746, certainly responded to a specific request from an English aristocrat who will be its first owner. The canvas is still in its period frame of English style, carved, pierced and gilded.
