CANALETTO & THE ART OF VENICE THE QUEEN’ S GALLERY, BUCKINGHAM PALACE
By Richard Fitzwilliams
CANALETTO & THE ART OF VENICE THE QUEEN’ S GALLERY, BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Rosalba Carriera,‘ Winter’, c. 1726. Royal Collection Trust /© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016
Canaletto, The Grand Canal looking East from Campo San Vio towards the Bacino, c. 1727-8, from a set of 12 paintings of the Grand Canal. Royal Collection Trust /© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017
The work of the 18th Century Italian painter Giovanni Antonio Canal, better known as Canaletto, is forever associated with Venice as he painted glorious images of this incomparably beautiful city. The main attraction here is the scale of some of his canvasses in addition to his undoubted skill as a topographical artist in the era of The Grand Tour. There are several huge paintings where the glory of Venice and the majesty of Rome co-exist on a scale which does justice to both of these immortal cities.
On display are five huge canvasses which portray some of Rome’ s most famous sights such as the Pantheon and two of the remaining arches in the Forum, that of Titus and of Septimus Severus. There are also several large works which depict some of Venice’ s most alluring views featuring the Piazza San Marco and others depicting the breathtaking vistas of the Grand Canal. In scale these can also be compared to the two marvellous paintings of Venice by Francesco Guardi at Waddesdon Manor, which are his largest known works.
Canaletto was a master storyteller when it came to beautifying cities. He used artistic licence, eliminating buildings and manipulating views to suit his requirements. The effect is as spectacular as he intended. George III purchased over 200 of his works for the Royal Collection in 1762.
Alongside the paintings, drawings and prints by Canaletto are works by his contemporaries including Francesco Zuccarelli and Pietro Longhi. The curators even discovered a good-luck token inside a pastel by the female artist Rosalba Carriera.
The fantastic scale of several of the works in this show make it essential viewing for the artist’ s many admirers. It is yet another example of the superlative exhibitions which the Royal Collection regularly mounts.
Canaletto, The Pantheon, 1742, part of a set of five Roman views. Royal Collection Trust /© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017
18 THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK