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The short version

  • A previously unknown sketch by Canaletto has been authenticated and will be sold at an Oxford auction house later this month.
  • The work is a capriccio, a genre blending real architectural details with fantastical elements, likely created between 1746 and 1755.
  • Experts suggest the artist may have valued these imaginative works more highly than his realistic views, which dominate his modern reputation.

A previously unidentified drawing by the eighteenth-century Venetian artist Canaletto is set to go under the hammer in England later this month. The piece, authenticated only recently, represents a rare opportunity for collectors and institutions to acquire original works from one of history’s most celebrated view painters. Mallams, an auction house based in Oxford, will handle the sale, anticipating significant global interest given the scarcity of Canaletto’s drawings on the open market.

The sketch is executed in pencil and brown ink and falls into the category of capriccio, a genre that merges precise architectural studies with imaginative scenarios. Unlike his more famous vedute, or straightforward cityscapes, this work blends monumental structures, ruins, water features, and groups of figures known as staffage. Art historian John Rolfe notes that these pieces demonstrate not only brilliant observation and attention to detail but also a capacity for fantasy and drama.

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Charles Beddington, an art dealer and specialist in Canaletto’s work, confirmed the drawing’s authenticity. He believes the artist composed the scene between 1746 and 1755, during his period of residence in England. The sketch is thought to have served as a preparatory study for a painting that was previously sold by Christie’s in the 1990s. This connection helps date the work and places it within a specific phase of Canaletto’s career when he was adapting to new audiences and environments outside Venice.

The visual content of the drawing depicts a ruined Renaissance-era arcade with two crumbling arches spanning a canal. A rickety wooden footbridge stands before the structures, while debris, including a stray carriage wheel, is embedded in the riverbank silt. The artist uses harsh contrasts of light and shadow to create depth, scattering everyday characters throughout the scene. One notable detail includes a mother and child stepping cautiously across the bridge, their poses and costumes captured in quick, expressive strokes.

Canaletto, born Giovanni Antonio Canal in 1697, is best known today for his highly detailed depictions of Venice. His reputation rests largely on these realistic views, one of which sold for $30.5 million earlier this year. However, the capriccio genre was popular among Italian artists during the Baroque period, with contemporaries like Francesco Guardi and Giovanni Paolo Panini also practicing it. These works often featured fabricated scenes set amid real structures, such as columns from the Roman Forum or Venetian archways.

The technical approach evident in the sketch aligns with Canaletto’s known methods. Curator Katherine Gazzard explains that he often planned his scenes mathematically, using rulers to draw architectural lines in pencil before going over them in pen. This precision led some biographers to accuse him of using a camera obscura to trace buildings, a rumor researchers disproved in 2017 using infrared technology. The recent drawing reflects this disciplined yet imaginative process.

While modern fame associates Canaletto primarily with his straightforward cityscapes, experts suggest he may have held his capricci in higher esteem. Rupert Fogden, director of fine art at Mallams, notes that works of the imagination were particularly valued by Italian contemporaries. The inscription on the back of the drawing reads “a Present from Sig Canal d Canaletti,” indicating the artist gave it away as a gift. It is believed to have subsequently belonged to Charles Burney, an eighteenth-century British composer, and remained in his family for generations.

The upcoming sale highlights the enduring appeal of Canaletto’s diverse output. Original paintings and drawings by the artist rarely appear at auction, making this event notable for both private collectors and public institutions. The drawing offers a glimpse into the artist’s creative process beyond his commercial successes, revealing a side of his work that emphasizes invention alongside observation. As the piece prepares for sale, it underscores the complexity of Canaletto’s legacy and the continued interest in his lesser-known genres.

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  • Smithsonian Magazine↗Venetian Artist Canaletto Merged Fantasy and Architectural Detail in This Previously Unseen Sketch, Heading to Auction This Month