Titelprent met antieke muur met tekst 1707 - 1768

Canaletto created this print, "Titelprent met antieke muur met tekst" using etching. His detailed views of Venice became popular souvenirs for British aristocrats on their Grand Tour. This title page, created to introduce a series of prints, encapsulates key aspects of Canaletto's art and its institutional context. It is made up of classical ruins, an inscription dedicating the series to Joseph Smith, the British Consul to Venice, and a scene of contemporary life with figures on the steps. The architecture reminds us of Venice's glorious past, while the dedication acknowledges the patronage system that supported Canaletto's work. Smith was a key figure in promoting Canaletto to the British elite, who in turn fueled the market for vedute, or view paintings, and prints. Historians often consult letters, diaries, and account books to reconstruct these relationships and understand the economic underpinnings of artistic production in 18th-century Venice.