Francesco Guardi, A Caprice with a Ruined Arch
Full title | A Caprice with a Ruined Arch |
---|---|
Artist | Francesco Guardi |
Artist dates | 1712 - 1793 |
Date made | about 1775 |
Medium and support | Oil on wood |
Dimensions | 20.1 × 15.5 cm |
Acquisition credit | Salting Bequest, 1910 |
Inventory number | NG2518 |
Location | Not on display |
Collection | Main Collection |
Previous owners |
Small figures – traders returning home from market or a fishing trip – animate this little scene, but also serve as a measure of scale, alerting us to the size of the ruins. This is an imaginary scene known as a capriccio, but Guardi took inspiration from known buildings – the arch with a suspended lantern may be derived from the arcade of the Doge’s Palace in Venice (though it has been exaggerated, as is appropriate in a capriccio).
Guard has used fluid brushstrokes and thin paint layers, with pen-like details for the buildings. He produced these kinds of pictures in large numbers in his studio in Venice throughout the 1770s and 1780s as popular souvenirs for tourists.
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