- Museum number
- 1910,0212.19
- Description
-
The Doge departing for the Lido in the Bucintoro on Ascension Day; view of the Grand Canal, with figures in the foreground on the quay and ships, boats and gondolas on the water, at right the Doge's Palace
Pen and brown ink and grey wash, heightened with white (oxidised), over black chalk (some of it drawn with a ruler)
- Production date
- 1763-1766
- Dimensions
-
Height: 390 millimetres
-
Width: 550 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- This is preparatory for the fifth engraving in the series of twelve by Brustoloni after Canaletto of Ducal ceremonies and festivals (for commentary of these see 1910-2-12-18). Three other Canaletto drawings for these prints are in the BM (1910-2-12-18/21). The present one shows the Doge in the Bucintore, the ceremonial barge, on his way to perform the ceremony of the 'Sposalizio del Mare' (the Marriage of the Sea), the main event of the festival of Ascension Day. The viewpoint is from the end of the Riva degli Schiavoni, looking west. The Bucintoro shown here was the last to be built. It was designed by Stefano Conti of Lucca and decorated in 1727 by the sculptor Antonio Corradini.
Lit: C. Dodgson, "Country Life", 7 October 1922, p. 449; D. Hadeln, 'The Drawings of Antonio Canal called Canaletto', London, 1929, p. 6 (as Canaletto school copy); Exhib. cat., London, BM, 'Canaletto and English Draughtsmen', 1953, no. 12; W.G. Constable, 'Canaletto', Oxford, 1962, II, no. 634 (ditto 2nd edition revised by J.G. Links, 1976); T. Pignatti, 'Canaletto. Selected Drawings', Pennsylvania, 1970, no. LXI; A. Bettagno, in exhib. cat., Venice, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, 'Canaletto, disegni-dipinti-incisioni', 1982, no. 68; J. Rowlands (ed.), in exhib. cat., London, BM, 'Master Drawings and Watercolours in the British Museum', no. 38
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
1982 Jul-Oct, Venice, S Giorgio Maggiore, Canaletto, no. 68
1984, BM, Master Drawings and Watercolours in the BM, No. 38
2008 Mar-Jun, Turin, Palazzo Bricherasio, Canaletto and Bellotto...
2012-2013 Sep-Jan, Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, Canaletto and Guardi.
- Acquisition date
- 1910
- Acquisition notes
- The drawing was sold in the Stourhead Heirlooms sale, Christie's, 2.vi.1883/30 bt Colnaghi
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1910,0212.19
