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Canaletto, 'The Stonemason's Yard', about 1725

About the work

Overview

This intimate view of Venice, weatherbeaten and dilapidated, is one of Canaletto’s masterpieces. In the early morning sun, workmen chisel away at pieces of stone. Everyday life continues around them: a mother rushes to comfort her crying child, watched by a woman on the balcony above.

This square – the Campo San Vidal – was not usually a mason’s yard: it appears to have been temporarily transformed into a workshop while repairs are done to the nearby church of San Vidal. The church of Saint Maria della Carità and its campanile (bell tower) are visible on the far side of the Grand Canal.

Painted during the late 1720s, this is one of Canaletto’s finest early works. He has skilfully described various materials and textures: the crumbling plaster, exposed brick, and rough timber in a subtle range of colours. The buildings of different styles and heights, the animated figures and the areas of light and shadow in this theatrical picture may recall the stage sets Canaletto painted at the very beginning of his career.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Venice: Campo S. Vidal and Santa Maria della Carità ('The Stonemason's Yard')
Artist
Canaletto
Artist dates
1697 - 1768
Date made
about 1725
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
123.8 × 162.9 cm
Acquisition credit
Sir George Beaumont Gift, 1823; passed to the National Gallery, 1828
Inventory number
NG127
Location
Room 33
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners
Frame
20th-century English Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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