The Church and Convent of San Mattia di Murano
ca. 1804–28
Medium
Pen and brown ink, gray wash
Dimensions
4 15/16 x 8 5/16 in. (12.5 x 21.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.352
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giacomo Guardi, son of the renowned Venetian vedutista Francesco Guardi, crafted this delicate drawing around 1804–28, capturing the picturesque Church and Convent of Mattia di Murano Nestled on the island of Murano—famed for its centuries-old glassmaking tradition—this architectural complex overlooks serene canals bustling with boats, evoking the timeless charm of Venetian life. Guardi's work belongs to the Guardi family's legacy of luminous cityscapes, bridging the grand vedute of Canaletto with a more intimate, atmospheric touch during Venice's Napoleonic era and early 19th-century decline....
About the Artist
Giacomo Guardi · 1764–1835
Giacomo Guardi (1764–1835) was a Venetian painter who worked in the long shadow of his celebrated father, Francesco Guardi, one of the greatest vedutisti — view painters — of the eighteenth century. Born into one of Venice's most prominent artistic families, Giacomo received his training directly from his father, absorbing both the technical methods and the characteristic style that had made Franc...