Caneletto-style frame
mid-18th century
Medium
Poplar
Dimensions
Overall: 29 5/8 × 41 in. (75.2 × 104.2 cm) Sight: 24 × 35 11/16 in. (61 × 90.7 cm) Rabbet: 24 7/8 × 36 1/2 in. (63.2 × 92.7 cm)
Classification
Frames
Culture
Italian, Veneto
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.2207
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Caneletto-style frame*, crafted in mid-18th-century Veneto, Italy, exemplifies the opulent framing traditions of Venice during the height of the Rococo era. Made from poplar—a lightweight yet sturdy hardwood favored for its workability—the frame measures 29⅝ × 41 inches overall, with a sight opening of 24 × 35⅝ inches, designed to elegantly encase landscapes or vedute paintings. Its style evokes the master Giovanni Antonio Canaletto (1697–1768), whose luminous cityscapes demanded frames that complemented their grandeur with intricate carving, gilding, and motifs like scrolling ...
About the Artist
Italian
The designation "Italian" in art collections typically refers to an anonymous artist or a loose attribution to works from Italian schools, rather than a specific individual. With 173 known artworks in the museum's collection, this entry likely encompasses paintings by unidentified masters active across various periods, such as the Renaissance, Baroque, or later eras. Early life and personal detail...