View of Munich
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 69.2 x 119.8 cm (27 1/4 x 47 3/16 in.) framed: 86.4 x 137.2 x 8.9 cm (34 x 54 x 3 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-B
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1961.9.64
Art Historical Context
Bernardo Bellotto, working with his studio assistants around 1761, captured this expansive view of Munich in oil on canvas. As a leading painter of vedute—detailed cityscapes popular across eighteenth-century Europe—Bellotto traveled widely, producing such works for royal and aristocratic patrons who valued accurate records of their cities. The sizable canvas, measuring roughly 27 by 47 inches, allowed for a sweeping panorama that highlights Munich’s architecture and surrounding landscape with remarkable clarity. The medium of oil on canvas was ideally suited to Bellotto’s approach, enabling ...