Francesco GuardiItalian, 1712–1793Venetian Capriccio: View of a Square and a Palace
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Venetian Capriccio: View of a Square and a Palace” now? Collection: State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Not on view at present. Checked August 29, 2026.
Saint Petersburg, Russia
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Museum text in Russian
Изображение уголка города, видимого из-под арки, помещенной на первом плане, часто встречается среди так называемых "каприччо" Гварди. Это улочки и дворы, в которых всегда узнается Венеция, даже если это не конкретное место, а свободная импровизация. В эрмитажной картине из-под арки видна залитая светом небольшая площадь, в глубине которой - старинный дворец с высокой лестницей. На площади несколько прохожих, фигурки которых написаны в эскизной манере. Солнечный свет золотит стены, в пролете открывается прозрачное бледно-голубое небо. Легкие мазки передают изменчивую атмосферу Венеции. Под кистью художника рождается поэтический образ, в котором реальность будничной жизни приобретает романтическую приподнятость.
State Hermitage Museum
Details
- Accession number
- ГЭ-262
In the catalog
Sources
- State Hermitage Museum
- Image: State Hermitage Museum — Museum open access
In the life of Francesco Guardi
The whole life5 October 1712
Born
mid-1750s
Turns to the city view
Francesco Guardi’s turn to the veduta, the city view, is dated to the mid-1750s. Other accounts say he concentrated on vedute after his brother’s death in 1760. His early views show the influence of Canaletto and Luca Carlevarijs.
15 February 1757
Marries Maria Mattea Pagani
Francesco Guardi married Maria Mattea Pagani, daughter of the late painter Matteo Pagani.
1764
Shows views of San Marco and the Rialto in the Procuratie
Guardi exhibited two views in the Procuratie building in Venice — Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge, taken with the aid of a camera obscura “at the request of an anonymous English foreigner”, possibly the British consul Joseph Smith, a collector and publisher of prints.
27 January 1769
His wife dies after childbirth
On 14 January 1769 Guardi’s third son, Giovanni Battista, was born but died three days later; on 27 January the painter’s wife, Maria Mattea, also died of complications after the birth.
1 January 1793
Died
