norman lebrecht<\/p>\n
April 19, 2026<\/p>\n
Think of Venice and chances are that what will appear in your mind\u2019s eye will be a painting by Canaletto. \u00a0His precise, luminous depictions of Venice\u2019s canals, architecture, and festivals, as well as later scenes of London, made him popular among the English who collected his work as a sort of snapshot of where they\u2019d been on their Grand Tour.<\/p>\n
But Caneletto, who died on 19th April 1768, that is 258 eight years ago today, was much more than a \u2018street photographer\u2019. He is most famous as the premier 18th-century Venetian painter of vedute \u00a0(detailed cityscapes or \u201cview paintings\u201d), as he painted the daily life of the city and its people. His mastery of perspective, light, and accuracy far outstrips his competitors, of whom there were many.<\/p>\n
He was trained by his father,\u00a0Bernardo Canal, (hence \u2018Caneletto\u2019, \u2018Little Canal\u2019) a theatrical scene painter, which influenced his later large-scale landscapes that combined structural accuracy with dramatic flair.
Canaletto\u2019s early works remain his most coveted and, according to many authorities, his best painting is \u201cThe Stonemason\u2019s Yard\u201cpainted in 1725 and now in the National Gallery in London. This depicts a humble working area of the city.<\/p>\n
Later, Canaletto painted grand scenes of the canals of Venice and the Doge\u2019s Palace. His large-scale landscapes portrayed the city\u2019s pageantry and waning traditions, making innovative use of atmospheric effects and strong local colours. For these qualities, his works may be said to have anticipated Impressionism.<\/p>\n
When he moved to London in 1749 he was immensely popular, turning out so many works in the same style that his painting began to suffer from repetitiveness, losing its fluidity, and becoming mechanical to the point that an influential English art critic George Vertue wrote that the man painting under the name \u2018Canaletto\u2019 was an impostor. This story was then spread by unscrupulous art dealers who had been passing off copies of Canaletto\u2019s work as his own and were anxious to see him return to Venice, which he did in 1752, although his reputation never recovered.<\/p>\n
Today, his paintings sell for millions. \u00a0In July 2025, \u201cVenice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day\u201d reached \u00a327.5 million, at Christie\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a very informative little film from Christies about that painting, a conversation between Dr James Fox,\u00a0 art historian and broadcaster, and Letizia Treves,\u00a0\u00a0 Christie\u2019s Global Head of Research and Expertise at Christies and former Chief Curator of Italian and Spanish Paintings at the National Gallery.<\/p>\n
Canaletto\u2019s\u00a0\u201cVenice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day\u201cwas formerly in the collection of Britain\u2019s first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole. It hung in 10 Downing Street in the first-floor parlour on the other side of the fireplace from its pendant work: Canaletto\u2019s \u201cVenice, The Grand Canal, Looking North-East from Palazzo Balbi to the Rialto Bridge\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u2018This is one of the most sublime works Canaletto ever painted,\u2019 says Andrew Fletcher, global head of Christie\u2019s Old Masters department.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n