The Doge's Palace in Venice

Unknown artist after Antonio Canaletto (1697–1768)

18th/19th c. Oil on canvas

At the end of the 16th century, aristocrats decided that a good classic education included visits to the cultural capitals of Europe: Paris, Florence, Venice, and - first and foremost - Rome. The grand tour tradition initiated by the British nobility remained viable for the next 300 years, spreading among the wealthy upper classes from one country to another (including America). As travelling became more popular, the need increased for gifts and souvenir pictures depicting views of towns (veduta, Italian for view) or famous sites (monuments).

Antonio Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio da Canale) is one of the best known veduta masters in art history. His paintings skilfully combine topographically precise cityscapes with a shimmering atmosphere. Canaletto’s Venetian canal views were particularly loved among 18th-century British aristocrats. His Venetian street views were repeated by himself, copied by his studio, and issued as engravings, which, in turn, served as models for innumerable paintings of various levels of craftsmanship.