Charming the aristocracy

Canaletto is one of the best-loved of foreigners who visited these shores and attempted to capture the English spirit through depictions of our countryside and buildings. London was the magnet, inevitably, when commissions began to run short in his native Venice. Canaletto had sold a great deal of work to the English aristocracy as they called in on Venice during the obligatory Grand Tour of the wonders of Europe. Now war had curtailed the influx of visitors, and Canaletto felt the pinch. He may also have seen the wisdom of attempting a new subject, rather than continuing to flood the market with versions of Venetian views already mastered.

In 1746 he arrived in England, at the start of a nine-year sojourn, which was interrupted by only one trip home in 1750–1. George Vertue, historian and engraver, records the event somewhat bitchily: ‘Latter end of May came to London from Venice the Famous Painter of Views Cannalletti…he is much esteemed and no doubt but what Views and works He doth here, will give the same satisfaction — though many persons already have so many of his paintings.’ Undaunted, Canaletto as we now spell him (his real name was Giovanni Antonio Canal) was as busy in England as he had been in Venice, and set out to charm the aristocracy all over again by painting their town houses, their capital city and their country seats. In this he was largely successful as this enjoyable exhibition demonstrates. A remarkable selection of 39 paintings and 15 works on paper constitutes the largest gathering of his English work ever shown, and should provide a popular attraction for Dulwich, one of our finest small museums.