Artwork
Piazza San Marco, Venice
Piazza San Marco, Venice is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Luca Carlevarijs. It dates from 1709 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on a canvas support in 1709, measuring 50.
The work is an oil painting executed on a canvas support in 1709, measuring 50.5 cm in height and 120 cm in width. The handling reflects the Venetian topographical tradition, combining precise architectural delineation with atmospheric effects to render the expansive Piazza San Marco.
Compositionally, the scene organizes the urban fabric around the basilica's domes and the Campanile, using a low vantage to emphasize spatial recession across the square.
History & Provenance
The painting Piazza San Marco, Venice by Luca Carlevarijs is dated to 1709, consistent with his early 18th-century Venetian vedute production.
By 1954, the painting was in the Robert Lehman collection before entering the holdings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it remains as part of the Lehman Collection.
Overview
Luca Carlevarijs's Piazza San Marco, Venice, painted in 1709 with oil, captures the renowned Venetian public square. This work exemplifies the artist's pioneering contribution to the vedute genre, or detailed cityscape painting, which became a hallmark of Venetian art. The painting is recognized as part of the Rococo movement and is housed within The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas depicts the expansive Piazza San Marco bustling with numerous figures dressed in period attire, suggesting a public gathering or market. Prominent architectural features include a tall clock tower on the left and the distinctive blue domes of St. Mark's Basilica in the background. The surrounding edifices, characterized by their arched walkways and rows of windows, frame the lively urban scene, offering a detailed glimpse into early 18th-century Venetian life.
Artist & collection
Artist
Luca Carlevarijs or Carlevaris (20 January 1663 – 12 February 1730) was an Italian painter and engraver working mainly in Venice.
