Venice: The Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute
Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
7 1/8 x 12 5/8in. (18.1 x 32.1cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
Accession Number
1982.60.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
Francesco Guardi's *Venice: The Dog and Santa Maria della Salute captures the timeless allure of Venice's Grand Canal in a compact oil on wood panel, measuring just 7 1/8 x 12 5/8 inches. Painted by the 18th-century Venetian master this intimate work showcases the iconic Customs House (Dogana) the majestic Baroque church of Santa Maria della, framed by boats gliding along shimmering canals. Guardi, a leading figure in the veduta tradition—topographical views of cityscapes—followed in the footsteps of Canaletto but infused his scenes with a softer, more atmospheric touch. The choice of wood as...
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...