Lagoon Capriccio with a Tower
1712–93
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over black chalk
Dimensions
7 1/2 x 10 9/16in. (19.1 x 26.9cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1937
Accession Number
37.165.75
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Lagoon Capriccio with a Tower** by Francesco Guardi1712–1793) captures the enchanting whimsy of Venice's lagoon in a fantastical composition. Guardi, a master of the Venetian *veduta* tradition, blended real architectural elements—like the prominent tower—with imaginative landscapes, creating a *capriccio* that the city's watery allure. Small human figures dot the scene, adding life and scale to this dreamlike vista, typical of 18th-century Venetian art that romanticized the lagoon's timeless beauty. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash over black chalk, this intimate dra...
About the Artist
Francesco Guardi · 1712–1793
Francesco Lazzaro Guardi (1712–1793) was born into a noble family of painters from Trentino who had settled in Venice. His father, Domenico Guardi, a minor painter trained in Vienna, died in 1716, leaving young Francesco to inherit the family workshop alongside his brothers Giovanni Antonio (Gian Antonio) and Niccolò, both artists, and sister Maria Cecilia, who married the renowned Giovanni Battis...