The Piazzetta Looking Towards Santa Maria della Salute
Artist: Canaletto (Italian, 1697-1768)
Date: ca. 1723-1724
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Royal Collection Trust, London, United Kingdom
Description
The painting shows the view towards the Dogana, the porticoed custom house at the entrance to the Grand Canal, and the church of Santa Maria della Salute, which was built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary of la salute (health) after the plague epidemic of 1630-31. Beyond these buildings to the left, part of the Guidecca can be glimpsed. To the right, part of the Ponte della Pescheria can be seen, and the column of San Teodoro in front of the south-east corner of the Libreria. The Libreria was architect Jacopo Sansovino's most famous Venetian building, begun in 1537.
