The Piazzetta, Venice, with the Campanile under Repair

Perhaps one of the most famous views of Venice, by one of the most famous view-painters of his time, this scene depicts an incident that shook the calm of the Serenissima in 1745. It was 23 April – St George’s Day – when a thunderbolt struck the Campanile of San Marco, causing severe damage to this iconic Venetian landmark.

 The only known painting by Canaletto to depict this incident, the work in the A. G. Leventis Gallery collection has been dated by Charles Beddington to Canaletto’s years in London, where the artist had taken refuge in the 1740s: a time when war in Europe had reduced the flow of Grand Tourists to Venice, and the prolific painter moved to London to be closer to his market. Canaletto arrived in the city in May 1746 and stayed on until 1755. He clearly brought something with him from Venice, however, as he must have based this work on a drawing of the Piazzetta executed on the spot soon after the incident on St George’s Day.

 The painting displays the characteristic grey ground used by Canaletto in England. It can also be accurately dated by the evidence of the scene: at a glance, we see the Campanile being repaired, which must have taken place that summer, or by the end of 1745. Another clue is found in the appearance of the Torre dell’Orologio: work on the upper storeys had not yet begun, indicating a date of before 1755. Matched to two drawings of the same subject now in UK collections, this painting is in fact a missing link in Canaletto’s story – which the A. G. Leventis Gallery is happy to share with the world!