Canaletto

We authenticate, certify, issue certificates of authenticity (COA), appraise the value and broker the sale of paintings and drawings by CANALETTO.

Giovanni Antonio CANAL

Italian

Born in 1697, Venice, Italy.

Died in 1768, Venice, Italy, aged 70.

He spent all his life in Italy. His works were also much appreciated in the United Kingdom and in France.

Typical Subject Matter:

He is renowned as one of the most important Venetian painters and engravers of vedute – panoramas – representing Venice. He typically represented the city of Venice in a way that was very close to nature. His rendering of the urban setting is faithful to reality, respecting the location of each building and bridge. Among these cityscapes, he typically depicted the bustle of life on the waters of canals, Venetians carrying on their everyday life, or the commemorative representation of solemn public events.

He also extensively produced capricci – tormented landscapes in which nature is punctuated by ruins or ancient buildings.

Typical Style:

He typically painted from a vantage point above the ground, often either from the top of bridges or from the window of a building. His paintings respect the rules of perspective with a geometric rigour and are characterized by a luminous representation of the interplay of light and shadow. As such, these representations are the result of careful observation of the atmosphere, the choice of precise lighting conditions for each moment of the day and an objective drawing based on the principles of geometry. His rendering of the buildings is extremely precise and meticulous, almost photographic, and in any case very drawn. His palette of colours is realistic and enhances the rendering of light and atmospheric effects.

Typical Material and Media:

He mostly worked in oil on canvas, sometimes on wooden panel.

If you own a painting or a drawing by or attributed to Canaletto, we would like to learn about it. Please send us photos or contact us at [email protected]. You will generally receive a response within 24 hours.