9. Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto
(1697-1768)

Imaginary View of Venice

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Canaletto, Imaginary View of Venice

Imaginary View of Venice

Etching, 1741, 299 x 428 mm., DeVesme 12 and 13, Bromberg 13 only state and 14 ii/ii. Exceedingly fine impressions of both halves of the divided plate, rejoined here with considerable skill to restore the original panoramic view, on laid paper with an R watermark on the right side, good margins on the un-joined sides of both plates. There are only six known impressions of the full plate (all in institutions) before Canaletto, for unknown reasons, divided the plate into two pieces of approximately equal size. Although impressions of each of the halves have considerable charm and beauty, the whole is more than merely the sum of its parts. Canaletto was at his best in imaginary views, evoking a magic of time and place that never quite existed – but one wished it did. Light and shade and everything in between are here in black and white and with no need of color. A light printer’s crease, with no loss of ink runs parallel to part of the joining.

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