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Photographer
Unknown artist
Date1875-1900
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsOverall: 8 3/4 × 11 1/4 in. (22.2 × 28.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of James Garfinkel, Class of 1980; Transferred from the Art History Department
Object numberS2018.2.138
Not on view
DescriptionPhotograph of the 1725 painting "Venice: The Stonemason's Yard" by Canaletto, located in the National Gallery in London. Featured location: Venice, Italy.
This intimate view of Venice, weatherbeaten and dilapidated, is one of Canaletto’s masterpieces. In the early morning sun, workmen chisel away at pieces of stone. Everyday life continues around them: a mother rushes to comfort her crying child, watched by a woman on the balcony above.
This square – the Campo San Vidal – was not usually a mason’s yard: it appears to have been temporarily transformed into a workshop while repairs are done to the nearby church of San Vidal. The church of Saint Maria della Carità and its campanile (bell tower) are visible on the far side of the Grand Canal.
Painted during the late 1720s, this is one of Canaletto’s finest early works. He has skilfully described various materials and textures: the crumbling plaster, exposed brick, and rough timber in a subtle range of colours. The buildings of different styles and heights, the animated figures and the areas of light and shadow in this theatrical picture may recall the stage sets Canaletto painted at the very beginning of his career. (Source: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/canaletto-the-stonemasons-yard, accessed 6/19/2023)
Collections
Additional Details
Provenance
2018: Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, by transfer from the Art History Department;
likely by 1985 - 2018: Hamilton College (Art History department), by gift of James Garfinkel;
c. 1981-85: James Garfinkel, likely by purchase at auction in London.
likely by 1985 - 2018: Hamilton College (Art History department), by gift of James Garfinkel;
c. 1981-85: James Garfinkel, likely by purchase at auction in London.
Markings
Verso, center of page (blue ink): "NATIONAL GALLERY PHOTOGRAPH / NOT TO BE REPRODUCED / WITHOUT PERMISSION"
Inscribed
Verso, upper margin (pencil): "Canaletto / Venice: The Stonemason's Yard C. 1738 / Canvas 49 x 80 1/2"
Verso, center of page (pencil): "127."
Verso, center of page (pencil): "127."
Unknown artist
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Object number: S2018.2.136
Unknown artist
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Object number: S2018.2.137
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Date: 1776
Medium: Etching
Object number: 1987.14
David Kennedy Cutler
Date: 2011
Medium: Archival inkjet on Japanese paper, data of compact disks, and pigmented cotton
Object number: 2016.16
Carlo Naya
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: albumen print
Object number: S2018.2.384
Carlo Naya
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: albumen print
Object number: S2018.2.385
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Object number: S2018.2.784
Fratelli Alinari Fotografi Editori
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: Albumen print
Object number: S2018.2.429
Andrea Verrocchio
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: Albumen print
Object number: S2018.2.513
Fratelli Alinari Fotografi Editori
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: Albumen print
Object number: S2018.2.120
Carlo Naya
Date: 1875-1900
Medium: Albumen print
Object number: S2018.2.437