Imaginary View of S. Giacomo di Rialto, from Vedute 1735 - 1744

Canaletto created this etching, Imaginary View of S. Giacomo di Rialto, with ink on paper. Note the columns on the left, seemingly remnants of antiquity. Columns, as structural supports, are metaphors for stability and order but, in ruins, they speak of time's relentless march and the inevitable decay of even the grandest structures. This is powerfully juxtaposed with the church facade behind it. The church’s clock face also reminds us of time’s passage, but here it is a functional piece, regulating daily life, contrasting with the ruined columns that act as a memento mori. Recall how obelisks, moved from Egypt to Rome, were topped with the cross: ancient power converted to Christian authority. Similarly, the sacred re-emerges in the modern city, layering time and belief. The church becomes a stage where the past is not dead but lives on, transformed.