Artwork
Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe, below the Augustus Bridge
Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe, below the Augustus Bridge is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Bernardo Bellotto. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a cityscape of Dresden, specifically capturing a view from the right bank of the Elbe River looking toward the Augustus Bridge.
The work depicts a cityscape of Dresden, specifically capturing a view from the right bank of the Elbe River looking toward the Augustus Bridge. As a cityscape genre painting created in 1750, the subject focuses on the architectural and topographical features of the German city rather than allegorical or symbolic narratives. The composition documents the urban landscape and the river crossing, presenting a realistic representation of the location during that period. The imagery serves as a visual record of Dresden's infrastructure and riverside setting in the mid-18th century.
Technique & Style
Created in 1750, Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe, below the Augustus Bridge is executed in oil paint on canvas. The work functions as a cityscape, a genre in which the artist Bernardo Bellotto specialized, capturing the urban landscape of Dresden with specific attention to the Elbe River and the Augustus Bridge. The painting measures 51.5 cm in height and 84 cm in width.
Its formal qualities are defined by the precise architectural rendering typical of the Canaletto school, utilizing the oil medium to achieve detailed topographical accuracy within the specified dimensions.
History & Provenance
Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe, below the Augustus Bridge is an oil painting on canvas created by Bernardo Bellotto in 1750. The work entered the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, where it remains today.
The painting was produced as part of Bellotto’s series of cityscapes documenting Dresden, reflecting his role as court painter to Augustus III of Poland and his documented activity in the city around 1748–1758. Although the precise commissioning details are not recorded, the work is recognized as one of his mature city views completed during his Dresden period.
The painting measures 51.5 cm in height and 84 cm in width and was executed in oil paint on canvas, as documented in its technical specifications.
The dating of 1750 is corroborated by archival records of Bellotto’s output during his Dresden stay, aligning with his broader series of urban vistas commissioned or acquired by patrons in Saxony.
Overview
Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe, below the Augustus Bridge is an oil painting by Bernardo Bellotto, created around 1750. It is a cityscape held at the National Gallery of Ireland.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Bernardo Bellotto, was an Italian urban landscape painter or vedutista, and printmaker in etching famous for his vedute of European cities – Dresden, Vienna, Turin, and Warsaw.
- Dresden From the Right Bank of the Elbe Below the Augustus Bridge
Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe above the Augustus Bridge
Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe below the Augustus Bridge
Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe, above the Augustusbrücke
View of Dresden with the Augustus Bridge
Dresden from the Left Bank of the Elbe, below the Fortifications
Dresden from the left Bank of the Elbe above the Bridgehead of the Old Town
Old Fortifications of Dresden
View of the Neumarkt in Dresden from the Jüdenhofe