Venetian scene
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brown wash
Dimensions
8-1/2 x 11 in. (21.6 x 27.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880
Accession Number
80.3.661
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the tranquil *Ven Scene*, attributed to Giovanni Larcianiknown as the "Master of the Kress Landscapes"— glimpse 18th-century Venice through the delicate medium of pen and brown ink with brown wash. This intimate drawing, measuring just 8-1/2 x 11 inches, captures the city's iconic blend of boats gliding along canals and grand buildings rising from the water, evoking the lagoon's timeless allure. Created during Venice's twilight as a maritime republic, when tourism flourished amid fading grandeur, it reflects the era's fascination with *vedute*—precise city views that served as souvenirs for...
About the Artist
Giovanni Larciani ("Master of the Kress Landscapes") · 1700–1800
Giovanni di Lorenzo Larciani (1484–1527), a Florentine painter known initially as the "Master of the Kress Landscapes," emerged from obscurity in the mid-1990s through the scholarship of Louis Waldman, who linked him to documents including a 1521 contract for an altarpiece. Born and active in Florence until his death, Larciani specialized in religious scenes enriched by vivid, atmospheric landscap...