Original title
Vue du grand Canal, du Palais Balbori, du Pont Realto et de la Fête des Gondoles a Venise.
Description
XVIIIth century optical view in original watercolors. Original copper plate engraving on laid paper with watermark heightened with watercolor at that time. Published by Basset in Paris circa 1760, depicting a view of Grand Canal at Venice (Italy).
During the 18th Century, several renowned establishments in Paris, London (England), Augsburg (Germany) and Bassano (Italy) were specialized in the creation of these optical views. They could be viewed alone or through a zograscope, a wooden foot surmounted by a lens which enlarged the image and accentuated the perspective effect. They could also be placed in optical boxes, the spectator then looked inside the box through the lens. This distraction was greatly appreciated in the 18th Century in the salons of the bourgeoisie and the nobility as in the countryside thanks to the hawkers.
These etchings are nowadays exhibited in museums around the world and extremely appreciated by collectors and decorators for their historical interest and their high decorative value.
Museums & Archives
The Bibliothèque nationale de France owns a copy of this optical view in its collections. For more details on this print please consult the site : Vue du grand canal, du palais balbori, du pont realto et de la fête des gondoles a venise.
Condition report
Find more artworks related to these topics :
This strong water etching is listed in these categories :
The Grand Canal is the main maritime artery that crosses Venice, Italy. It is the largest and widest of the canals of Venice. Beginning in the south in front of the Saint-Marc basin, it ends in the north-west of the city. It measures in total 3.8 km long and 50 to 70 m wide and 5 to 10 m deep.
Under the Roman and Byzantine empires, the lagoon is populated. At the beginning of the 9th century, the Doge moved his residence from Malamocco to the central island of Rialto, which was safer.
A portico covered the shore and facilitated the loading of goods. A corridor in part, flanked by reserves, towards a courtyard. Similarly, on the first floor, a loggia as large as the portico lights up the hall which opens into the merchant's rooms. A low mezzanine with offices separates the two floors.
From the Byzantine Empire are imported sculptures, friezes, columns and capitals in order to decorate the fondachi of the patrician families. Byzantine art combines with the above elements to form a Venetian-Byzantine style; in architecture, it is characterized by large loggias with round or elongated arches and by an abundance of polychrome marble.
Venetian Gothic begins with the southern facade of the Doge's Palace. It is found in the porticos and loggias of the Fondachi: the columns are thinner, the round arches are replaced by pointed arches. The facades are coated with bright colors.
In 1582, Alessandro Vittoria began the construction of the Balbi Palace, in which Baroque elements can be recognized: worked cornices, broken pediments, ornamental motifs.
The first construction of the Rialto Bridge dates from the 14th century century. It was for a long time the only bridge to cross the Grand Canal of Venice. Its name comes from the Rialto district on the left bank of the Grand Canal. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Republic of Venice wanted to rebuild it and commissioned projects from the greatest architects of the time, including Michelangelo, Palladio and Sansovino. It was finally Antonio da Ponte who was chosen and the reconstruction of the bridge lasted 3 years from 1588 to 1591.
The Galerie Napoléon is pleased to propose to you this strong water etching printed 264 years ago (around 1760).
As for all the antique prints in our catalogue, this optical view Vue du grand Canal, du Palais Balbori, du Pont Realto et de la Fête des Gondoles a Venise. datant de 1760 is dispatched worldwide within 24H in a Secured packaging, accompanied by its certificate of authenticity guaranteeing the name of the artists (draughtsman, engraver, editor), the impression process used (Strong water) and its date (1760).
In order to guarantee a perfect conservation in time, this strong water etching is dispatched, ready to be framed, under museum quality color passepartout (manufactured without acid in the pulp for a neutral pH) on a cream mountboard made from carton bois (also acid free & neutral pH), in a luxurious portfolio.
At the apogee of the mode for optical views, between 1750 and 1790, four European cities specialized in their edition: Paris (France), London (England), Augsburg (Germany) and Bassano (Italy).
Optical views are prized in very different social circles : pleasant recreation in aristocratic salons, the views are admired in beautiful and richly decorated optical boxes which are real works of art. The show was transformed into a real scientific experiment. But the optical views also entertained the people who were in a hurry when a hawker set up a box on a market and began to narrate the extraordinary events that had taken place in a more or less distant and inaccessible country.
There are three categories in the production of optical views.
With more than 20 years experience and a catalogue of more than 40.000 antique prints, drawings and historical documents dating from the 14th to the 19th century, the Galerie Napoléon, parisian antique dealer's gallery, is one of the world references in the field of antique prints,etchings and antique graphic arts.
In addition to thousands of impassioned of antique prints throughout the world, the Galerie Napoléon is honoured to count among its customers : national archives, museums, historical monuments and important home designer companies. All attracted by the extraordinary diversity of its catalogue and the quality and speed of its services.
This experience allows us to guarantee to each one of our customers the authenticity of the antiques in our catalogue and the shipment of their orders within 24 hours.
Customize for free the color of your museum quality bevel cut edge passepartout (acid free & neutral pH) among a color chart of 23 shades.
This option will be offered to you free of charge in the cart.
All our antiques can be shipped worldwide. The orders are dispatched within 24H in a secured packaging.
The Galerie Napoléon offers free shipping for all orders over 50EUR for France, 70EUR for all EU destinations and 90EUR for worldwide destinations.
For orders below these amounts, the shipping costs are 8EUR for France, 12EUR for all EU destinations and 17EUR for worldwide destinations.
