Piazza San Marco, Venetië, gezien vanuit het zuidwesten
In the 18th century, Rome and Venice were flooded with tourists, mainly from England. Canaletto took full advantage of this with his charming drawn or painted cityscapes depicting the famous Venetian monuments. He probably sold his drawings as souvenirs while working on the streets. ‘By chance’ he would have with him a portfolio with all sorts of cityscapes he had previously drawn in his studio.