A drawing of an invented view, known as a capriccio. It shows a terrace with a large staircase leading up to a loggia. Several figures and a dog are shown on the staircase and terrace. In the background is a view across the Venetian lagoon. This is one of the largest and grandest of Canaletto's capricci. In the foreground is a shaded terrace, from which a staircase descends to meet - somehow - another rising to a highly decorated loggia, with a shield on its upper corner bearing Canaletto's chevron. The architecture is wholly fictitious: resemblances of the loggia to the Procuratie Nuove, and of the staircase to the Scala dei Giganti in the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale, are merely generic. To the right is a compressed view of the Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute as seen from the Molo, though the Giudecca beyond has given way to an open horizon. The drawing is commonly supposed to be late, of around 1760; it displays the strong perspective of, for instance, the drawing that corresponds with Canaletto's reception painting of 1765 for the Accademia, and shares with that sheet such incidental details as the decorated neoclassical vases sprouting a few straggly leaves. It is however richer in effect, with more variation in touch, than the rather monotonous lines of many of Canaletto's certainly late drawings (such as the set of Feste Ducali); it shares the style and mannerisms of the capricci catalogued above, differing only in scale and ambition. While a date after 1755 is probably to be preferred, it may conceivably be a work of the 1740s. This illustrates the stability of Canaletto's style over the last decades of his career, and the consequent difficulty of dating his drawings from this period on style alone.
- Title: A capriccio with a monumental staircase
- Creator: Canaletto
- Creator Lifespan: 1697 - 1768
- Creator Death Place: Venice
- Creator Birth Place: Venice
- Date Created: c.1755 - c.1760
- Physical Dimensions: w531 x h363 mm
- Type: Drawings
- Rights: Supplied by Royal Collection Trust / (c) HM Queen Elizabeth II 2012
- Medium: Pen and ink, with grey wash, over ruled and free pencil and pinpointing
- Support: paper
- Provenance: Purchased by George III from Consul Joseph Smith, 1762
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Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
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- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
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