Palazzo Pesaro (Primary Title)
The Palazzo Pesaro (Former Title)
Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto, Italian, 1697 - 1768 (Artist)
This is one of four known close-up views focusing on private palaces belonging to one of Venice’s patrician families that Canaletto completed sometime
after he returned permanently to the city in 1755 from nearly a decade in
England. Their modest dimensions and portrait-like representations of a
single edifice appear to be a departure from other works in the later career
of this artist reputed for his panoramic city views. Canaletto was likely
attempting to establish a niche market among an aristocratic milieu that
strongly preferred religious and historical subjects in painting. In this work,
Canaletto assumed a point of view almost directly opposite one of several
palazzi belonging to the prominent Pesaro family, thereby according absolute
importance and dignity to the story-high columns, arched windows, and
other sculptural features of the 17th-century Palladian-style facade designed
by the innovative Baroque architect Baldassare Longhena (1598–1682).
The Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III Collection
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
