The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking Southeast, with the Campo della Carità to the Right
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 2019.141.4) |
| Location History: | Originally with Joseph Smith in Venice, the painting passed to Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, at Langley Park, Buckinghamshire, and by descent through the Spencer and Bateson-Harvey families until the mid-twentieth century. It was on loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (1936–38) and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (1938–c. 1957), before passing through the dealer Colnaghi in London and being sold in 1965 to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman of New York. It remained in the Wrightsman collection until Mrs. Charles Wrightsman's death in 2019, at which point it entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art through her bequest. |
Canaletto’s painting of the Grand Canal had presented Venice with remarkable precision and architectural clarity. His careful treatment of perspective had created a strong sense of depth, drawing the viewer’s eye into the distant canal. The Campo della Carità had provided a visual anchor on the right, while gondolas and small boats had added movement without distracting from the architectural focus. The work had also reflected Canaletto’s repeated interest in Venetian city views. This particular painting had been part of a series of similarly sized works probably commissioned by Joseph Smith, the British consul and an important patron of Canaletto. Such paintings had been valued not only as individual artworks but also as visual records of Venice. However, Canaletto had sometimes altered architectural proportions, angles, and viewpoints. These deliberate changes had prioritised visual harmony and clarity over strict topographical accuracy, making the painting both a representation and an artistic interpretation of Venice.