ARTWORKS

A Caprice with a Ruined Arch

Francesco Guardi (1712–1793)

The National Gallery, London

A Caprice with a Ruined Arch

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Small figures – traders returning home from market or a fishing trip – animate this little scene, but also serve as a measure of scale, alerting us to the size of the ruins. This is an imaginary scene known as a capriccio, but Guardi took inspiration from known buildings – the arch with a suspended lantern may be derived from the arcade of the Doge’s Palace in Venice (though it has been exaggerated, as is appropriate in a capriccio).

Guard has used fluid brushstrokes and thin paint layers, with pen-like details for the buildings. He produced these kinds of pictures in large numbers in his studio in Venice throughout the 1770s and 1780s as popular souvenirs for tourists.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

A Caprice with a Ruined Arch

Date

about 1775

Medium

Oil on wood

Measurements

H 20.1 x W 15.5 cm

Accession number

NG2518

Acquisition method

Salting Bequest, 1910

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Francesco Guardi

1712–1793

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