David Roberts – The Grand Canal In Venice, The Salute In The Mist – Watercolor – Signed And Dated

David ROBERTS (Edinburgh 1796 – London 1864)
The Grand Canal in Venice, the Church of the Salute in the mist
Watercolor and gouache on paper, signed and dated “David Roberts 1855” in the lower right corner
45.5 x 25.5 cm (image size) — 64 x 47 cm with frame
Carved oak frame, early 20th century

This watercolor depicts a view of the Grand Canal in Venice, bustling with gondolas and lateen-sailed boats moored along the palaces. In the background, the silhouette of the Church of Santa Maria della Salute stands out against a luminous mist, a technique characteristic of the artist’s depiction of the Venetian atmosphere. The facades of the palaces, on the left and right, are rendered with a free, loose brushstroke, while the sky occupies a large portion of the composition, reinforcing the impression of the diffuse light characteristic of the lagoon.

David Roberts visited Venice only once, in October 1851. There he produced numerous oil sketches, drawings, and watercolors from life, which he subsequently used as the basis for his compositions for more than ten years. This work, painted in 1855, is part of this post-trip body of work: the view of the Salute from the Grand Canal, one of his favorite Venetian subjects, which he revisited on several occasions.

Condition
The paper shows marbling and some foxing, particularly visible in the sky areas. The watercolor remains legible and is not altered in its composition or in the intensity of its colors.

The Artist
Born in Edinburgh in 1796, the son of a shoemaker, David Roberts began his career as a theater set painter before devoting himself to landscape and architectural painting. He became one of the most sought-after British artists of his time, famous for his views of Spain, and later for his series on the Holy Land and Egypt (1838–1839), published as lithographs that brought him international renown. Elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1841, he exhibited regularly in London until his death in 1864. His only visit to Venice, in 1851, inspired a series of views highly sought after by collectors, in which his talent for rendering light and atmosphere is fully on display.

Work on view at the gallery (07240)
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