Canaletto: Painting Venice
In Venice, on the Grand Tour in 1731, the future fourth Duke of Bedford met with the great art agent, Consul Joseph Smith. The commission he placed resulted in 24 of the greatest and most typical works of Canaletto. First installed in Bedford House London, they were moved to their splendid position in the Dining Room at Woburn in 1800, where they have remained ever since. Fully illustrated with many details, this publication marks the first time these paintings have been reproduced in colour. An extensive introduction by the leading Canaletto scholar Charles Beddington puts these works into perspective.
Charles Beddington was the curator of Canaletto in England: A Venetian Artist Abroad 1746-1755 at the Yale Center for British Art and the Dulwich Picture Gallery, and of Venice: Canaletto and his Rivals at the Nation Gallery of Art, London, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington. He was also head of The London Old Master Picture Department at Christies, and has been trading in fine art for nearly 40 years.