The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking Southeast, with the Campo della Carità to the Right

Just showing at the extreme left of the composition are the rusticated remains of the already ruined Ca' del Duca, started in 1457 for the Cornaro family and continued by Francesco Sforza, duke of Milan, but never occupied by him. Beside it, with two projecting loggias, is the Palazzetto Falier, a fifteenth-century Gothic building much restored and greatly altered. Immediately beyond stands the Palazzo Giustinian or Lolin (today Levi), an early work of Baldassare Longhena (1597–1682). Farther on, in profile at the turn of the canal, is the Palazzo Cavalli, later entirely reconstructed by Baron Franchetti, after whom it is now named.

On the far right is the foreshortened facade of the Palazzo Contarini degli Scrigni, a classical building begun in 1609 from designs by Vincenzo Scamozzi (1552–1616). Beyond it is the eighteenth-century Palazzo Querini, now the British Consulate. Farther on, in shadow beside the campanile (which collapsed in 1744) of the church of the monastery of Santa Maria della Carità, can be seen a glimpse of the church itself, which is now part of the picture galleries of the Accademia. Past the campanile is the Palazzo Brandolini, and, adjacent to it, the fifteenth-century Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo, as it appeared before extensive nineteenth-century restorations were carried out.

The Campo San Vio appears farther on as a break in the buildings, with the side of the Palazzo Barbarigo in full sunshine. A tower appears in the background near the center of the composition. No longer there, the tower once formed part of the Palazzo Venier delle Torreselle, which adjoined the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni and has almost totally disappeared today, though its name is recalled by the adjacent Rio delle Torreselle.

Apparently viewed from the center of the canal, this scene is in fact based upon several drawings taken from the banks. Although the painting gives a unified impression, the left half was drawn from a house on the right bank, and the buildings on the right were drawn from at least two different vantages. While it has been suggested that this painting gives the impression of having been made with a camera obscura (Moschini 1954), it seems highly unlikely that Canaletto did so, as the optical distortions in this scene are quite arbitrary exaggerations of the heights of some buildings and towers; the effect is not of a broadened perspective, as it would be in a wide-angle picture. Indeed, if Canaletto used a camera obscura, he covered his tracks so carefully that it is impossible to point with certainty to any painting or even to any drawing that was evidently made with it.

This canvas is the only known example of this view in Canaletto's oeuvre. As it was not among the views Visentini etched, there seem to have been no painted repetitions of it, nor are there any workshop variants.

This is one of four Canalettos from the Wrightsman collection that come from a group of twenty, or possibly twenty-one, views of Venice, all of the same size and character, known as the Harvey series from the name of a former owner, Sir Robert Grenville Harvey (1856–1931), Langley Park, Slough, Buckinghamshire. The original owner of the series was likely Joseph Smith (1673/74?–1770), British consul in Venice from 1744 to 1760. Smith commissioned an album of prints by Antonio Visentini after paintings by Canaletto, Prospectus Magni Canalis, first published in 1735; the second edition of 1742 included etchings after several Harvey paintings. Until recently it was unclear how the Harvey series reached England. W. G. Constable (1962) believed it was purchased in Venice by the last Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1823–1889), inherited by his daughter, and then descended to members of her husband's family. Francis Russell (1999), however, surmised that the original owner was the third Duke of Marlborough (1706–1758), based on the history of a group of sporting pictures by John Wootton formerly at Langley Park. The Woottons were acquired by Sir Robert Harvey in 1788 when he purchased the house—and all its contents—from the fourth Duke of Marlborough (1738–1817); the Canalettos must have been acquired the same way. Moreover, Russell observed that the third Duke of Buckingham's sister, Diana (d. 1735), was the first wife of John, fourth Duke of Bedford, who, in 1733/36, bought a set of twenty-four views of Venice by Canaletto; so the fashion for Canaletto ran in the family. The Marlborough provenance has since been confirmed by John Harris (see Fahy 2005), who discovered in the Buckinghamshire Record Office a printed list of the paintings at Langley, which is attached to an insurance valuation of the 1890s. Five views of Venice are listed in the drawing room, followed by a note stating that "The Pictures and others by Canaletto were bought with the house from the Duke of Marlborough in 1788. In an old inventory they are described as 'twenty views in fine frames.'"

Only circumstantial evidence supports dating for the Harvey series. They all presumably were completed before 1742, the date of publication of the second edition of the Prospectus Magni Canalis. The rather stronger coloring and less blond tonality of the Harvey paintings as compared, for instance, with the originals of the first fourteen etchings, published in 1735, suggest a date a few years later than this, perhaps soon after 1735, though doubtless the execution of so large a series must have been spread over a certain period of time. Constable believed they were painted in two batches, those of the Grand Canal in 1731–32, and those of the churches and campi in about 1735.

[2014; adapted from Fahy 2005]

[Joseph Smith, Venice]; ?Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, Langley Park, Slough, Buckinghamshire (until d. 1758); George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, Langley Park (1758?–88; sold to Harvey); Robert Bateson-Harvey, later Sir Robert Bateson-Harvey, 1st Baronet, Langley Park (1788–d. 1825); by descent to Sir Robert Grenville Harvey, 2nd Baronet, Langley Park (1887–d. 1931; trustees of his estate, 1931–ca. 1957; on loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1936–38; on loan to the City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 1938–ca. 1957); [Colnaghi, London, until 1965; sold to Wrightsman]; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, New York (1965–his d. 1986; cat., 1973, no. 4); Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, New York (1986–d. 2019; cat., 2005, no. 18)

City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. "Treasures from Midland Homes," November 2–December 2, 1938, one of nos. 151– 55, 157–61, 164–68, 170–74 (as "Twenty Views of Venice," by Canaletto, lent by the Exors. of Sir R. G. Harvey, Bt.).

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Bellini to Tiepolo: Summer Loans at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," June 29–August 31, 1993, unnum. checklist.

THIS WORK MAY NOT BE LENT, BY TERMS OF ITS ACQUISITION BY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

K. T. Parker. The Drawings of Antonio Canaletto in the Collection of His Majesty the King at Windsor Castle. Oxford, 1948, p. 31, notes that "the whole [Harvey] series was exhibited in the Ashmolean Museum in 1936, and is now deposited at Birmingham".

F. J. B. Watson. Canaletto. 2nd, rev. ed. London, 1954, p. 11, dates the Harvey series to the mid-1730s.

Vittorio Moschini. Canaletto. French ed. (Italian ed., 1954). Milan, 1955, pp. 22, 30, 38, pl. 139, suggests a date of about 1741 for the Harvey series, relating the pictures to Canaletto's etchings, specifically the lagoon capriccio of 1741; cites this picture as particular evidence of Canaletto's use of the camera obscura.

Terisio Pignatti. Il quaderno di disegni del Canaletto alle gallerie di Venezia. Milan, 1958, p. 23, states that the twenty paintings in the Harvey collection were on deposit at the Birmingham museum until recently, when they were withdrawn apparently due to their acquisition by an Italian collector.

Decio Gioseffi. Canaletto and His Contemporaries. New York, 1960, p. 65, assumes that all thirty-eight views engraved by Visentini were painted for Joseph Smith.

Cesare Brandi. Canaletto. [Verona], 1960, p. 125, fig. 64, agrees with Moschini (1955) on dating the series 1741 and on the artist's use of the camera obscura.

W. G. Constable. Canaletto: Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697–1768. Oxford, 1962, vol. 1, pp. 110–15, pl. 42; vol. 2, p. 262, under no. 188, pp. 267–68, no. 198, agrees with Moschini (1955) that this picture provides evidence of Canaletto's use of the camera obscura; notes that no other versions of this view are known; states that it is one of a group of twenty-one paintings "said to have been bought in Venice by the last Duke of Buckingham and Chandos" which descended to Sir Robert Grenville Harvey, Langley Park, Slough, and were sold by the Harvey Trustees in about 1957; notes that they did not necessarily all belong to Joseph Smith; believes that the series was painted in two batches, dating the views of the Grand Canal about 1731–32 and the others somewhat later.

Francis Haskell. Patrons and Painters: A Study in the Relations between Italian Art and Society in the Age of the Baroque. New York, 1963, p. 305, states that Canaletto painted a series of twenty views for Sir Robert Hervey [sic] during the last half of the 1730s.

"Arricchimenti nelle collezioni private." Acropoli 3, no. 3 (1963), p. 238, mistakenly states that the originals of all twenty-four etchings included in the second edition of Visentini's album were in the Harvey collection until less than two years ago, when they were separated at auction in London; illustrates the ten pictures acquired by a private collector in Milan.

W. G. Constable. Canaletto. Exh. cat., Art Gallery of Toronto. [Toronto], [1964], p. 15.

Pietro Zampetti. I vedutisti veneziani del Settecento. Exh. cat., Palazzo Ducale. Venice, 1967, p. 150, under no. 68, p. 154, under no. 69, dates the series 1730–35.

Lionello Puppi in The Complete Paintings of Canaletto. New York, 1968, p. 101, no. 115, ill., as an autograph work by Canaletto, whereabouts unknown; dates it 1731–35; citing Moschini (1955), states that "the use of optical devices in the preparation accounts for the unusual perspective distortion".

J. G. Links. "Secrets of Venetian Topography." Apollo 90 (September 1969), pp. 222–25, 229 nn. 1, 6, colorpl. XVI, rejects the idea that the Harvey series was acquired in Venice by the last Duke of Buckingham (see Constable 1962), who was not born until 1823, and believes that the series did probably originally belong to Joseph Smith; dates the group to the mid-1730s; notes that this picture is painted from multiple viewpoints and rejects the idea that Canaletto used the "camera obscura"; identifies the buildings depicted.

Frances Vivian. Il Console Smith mercante e collezionista. Vicenza, 1971, p. 32, maintains that the views engraved by Visentini for the 1942 edition of "Prospectus Magni Canalis" passed through Consul Smith's hands.

J. G. Links. Views of Venice by Canaletto, Engraved by Antonio Visentini. New York, 1971, pp. 4, 46, 48, 70, states that the Harvey series was dispersed in 1957.

Everett Fahy in The Wrightsman Collection. Vol. 5, Paintings, Drawings. [New York], 1973, pp. 38–42, no. 4, ill. p. 39 (color), figs. 1, 2 (details), agrees with Links (1969) that the Harvey series was not acquired by the last Duke of Buckingham and that the entire group probably did belong to Joseph Smith; dates the series soon after 1735; describes the buildings; rejects the artist's use of the camera obscura for this painting.

W. G. Constable. Canaletto: Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697–1768. Ed. J. G. Links. 2nd ed. Oxford, 1976, vol. 1, pp. 110–15, pl. 42; vol. 2, p. 277, under no. 188, p. 283, no. 198.

R. A. Cecil. "The Wrightsman Collection." Burlington Magazine 118 (July 1976), p. 518.

J. G. Links. Canaletto and His Patrons. London, 1977, p. 45, suggests that the original purchaser of the Harvey group was George Grenville, an ancester of the second Duke of Buckingham, from whom Sir Robert Grenville Harvey acquired the series following his bankruptcy; gives the total number of paintings in the series as twenty-two and considers it part of a larger set along with the twenty-four views at Woburn Abbey.

James Byam Shaw in Canaletto: disegni - dipinti - incisioni. Ed. Alessandro Bettagno. Exh. cat., Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice. Vicenza, 1982, pp. 63–64, thinks there is good reason to believe that all the paintings added to the second edition of "Prospectus Magni Canalis" in 1742 were already completed before 1735, the year of the first edition.

J. G. Links. Canaletto. Ithaca, N.Y., 1982, p. 76.

André Corboz. Canaletto: una Venezia immaginaria. Milan, 1985, vol. 1, pp. 59, 97, 146, 162, fig. 93; vol. 2, p. 613, no. P157, ill.

Dario Succi in Canaletto & Visentini, Venezia & Londra. Ed. Dario Succi. Exh. cat., Ca' Pesaro-Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna. [Venice], 1986, p. 237, under no. 20, dates the Harvey series 1730–35 and believes it was probably commissioned by Smith; states that the series was sold en bloc in about 1957 by the trustees of Robert Grenville Harvey but is now dispersed.

Katharine Baetjer and J. G. Links. Canaletto. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1989, p. 181, state that although the last Duke of Buckingham may have owned the Harvey series, "it is almost impossible that he could have bought them himself in Venice, as has been stated," adding that "the original purchaser may have been George Grenville (1712–1770), whose grandson became the first Duke of Buckingham in 1822".

W. G. Constable. Canaletto: Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697–1768. Ed. J. G. Links. 2nd ed., reissued with supplement and additional plates. Oxford, 1989, vol. 1, pp. xlvii, 110–15, pl. 42; vol. 2, p. 277, under no. 188, pp. 283, 732, no. 198.

Pippa Mason in A King's Purchase: King George III and the Collection of Consul Smith. Exh. cat., The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace. [London], 1993, p. 60, reproduces (fig. d) a detail of the frame of one of the Wrightsman pictures from the Harvey series as an example of the design of the frames supplied by Consul Smith; dates both frames and paintings 1730–35.

John Russell. "An Assortment of Very-Welcome Summer Guests." New York Times (August 6, 1993), p. C24.

J. G. Links. Canaletto. London, 1994, pp. 89–90, 102.

Alice Binion in The Dictionary of Art. Ed. Jane Turner. Vol. 5, New York, 1996, p. 597.

J. G. Links. A Supplement to W. G. Constable's Canaletto: Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697–1768. London, 1998, pp. 20–22, pl. 256.

Francis Russell. "Review of Links 1998." Burlington Magazine 141 (March 1999), p. 181, states that all the Harvey paintings "are, or were, in matching frames of the kind favored by Consul Smith" and believes that they must have left Italy before the lifetime of the last Duke of Buckingham (1823–1889); suggests that they were acquired with the contents of the house when Sir Robert Harvey bought Langley Park from the fourth Duke of Marlborough in the 1780s.

Bozena Anna Kowalczyk in Bernardo Bellotto and the Capitals of Europe. Ed. Edgar Peters Bowron. Exh. cat., Museo Correr, Venice. New Haven, 2001, p. 12 n. 18, dates the Harvey series 1738–40.

Filippo Pedrocco. Il Settecento a Venezia: i vedutisti. Milan, 2001, pp. 107, 109, states that the Harvey series was acquired in Venice in the middle of the nineteenth century by the last Duke of Buckingham; believes that the series passed through Smith's hands before arriving in England.

Charles Beddington. "Review of Pedrocco 2001." Burlington Magazine 144 (July 2002), p. 440, points out that "there is good reason to doubt that the 'Harvey' series was bought in Venice in the mid-nineteenth century".

Everett Fahy in The Wrightsman Pictures. Ed. Everett Fahy. New York, 2005, pp. 61–62, 67–68, no. 18, ill. (color), notes that the Marlborough provenance of the Harvey series has been confirmed by John Harris (as relayed to him by Francis Russell in May 2000), who discovered an inventory of the pictures at Langley from the 1890s stating that five views of Venice in the drawing room "and others by Canaletto were bought with the house from the Duke of Marlborough in 1788. In an old inventory they are described as 'twenty views in fine frames'".

Robin Pogrebin. "The Met is Given Hundreds of Artworks." New York Times (November 16, 2019), p. C3 [online ed., "A Trustee Leaves Trove of Old Masters Works to the Met," November 13, 2019; https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/arts/design/bequest-met-museum-wrightsman.html].

Hakim Bishara. "A Glorious Gift of European Artworks Is on Display at the Metropolitan Museum." Hyperallergic. November 19, 2019, ill. (color, installation views) [https://hyperallergic.com/528444/a-glorious-gift-of-european-artworks-is-on-display-at-the-metropolitan-museum/].

The Private Collection of Jayne Wrightsman. Christie's, New York. October 14, 2020, p. 12.

This work may not be lent, by terms of its acquisition by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.